REBECCA Long-Bailey has become the sixth MP to enter the Labour leadership race.
The Salford and Eccles MP, who is thought of as the continuity candidate following Jeremy Corbyn's resignation, wrote a column for Tribune magazine outlining her plans for the party.
Long-Bailey made specific reference to Labour's problems in Scotland in her pitch, criticising the party's decision to join forces with David Cameron for the Better Together campaign in 2014.
Other candidates for the top job so far have not been specific in their analysis of the party's performance in Scotland. Lisa Nandy and Clive Lewis briefly brought it up in their pitches, while Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry and Jess Phillips are yet to address the subject.
READ MORE: Labour MPs urged to 'refuse to accept' Rebecca Long-Bailey as leader
In her column, Long-Bailey makes clear that she has no plan to change Labour's direction, writing: "I don’t just agree with the policies, I’ve spent the last four years writing them."
She acknowledges that "Labour’s campaign lacked a coherent narrative" but goes on to deny that the party's electoral failure related to their socialist programme.
The MP adds that Labour had "no plan to overhaul a broken political system". She wrote: "We’ve also, at times, been too close to the establishment we are meant to be taking on – whether cosying up to Rupert Murdoch, joining forces with David Cameron in the Better Together campaign in 2014 or turning our focus inwards on parliamentary manoeuvring for the last year. "
Later, she stresses her intentions to unite the country's former Labour heartlands "from our young, diverse strongholds in English cities to Scotland, Wales, and de-industrialised areas in the Midlands and North".
READ MORE: Ian Murray set to run for Labour deputy leadership position
Under Corbyn, Labour's policy was not to stand in the way of a Scottish independence referendum – however, they said one would not be held in the early years of a Labour government.
It is unclear whether that policy would change under any of the confirmed candidates.
In today's Mirror, Scotland's last Labour MP and independence opponent announced he will run for the deputy leader position.
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