A FRESH row has broken out among Labour MPs after leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey took aim at the 2014 Better Together campaign.
The campaign, which sought to keep Scotland in the UK, saw Labour and Tory figures team up to make the case for a No vote.
In her pitch for the top job, Long-Bailey – who is seen as the Jeremy Corbyn continuity candidate – criticised her party for that move.
She wrote Labour had "at times, been too close to the establishment we are meant to be taking on".
READ MORE: Rebecca Long-Bailey confirms she will run for Labour leadership
She went on to say this included "cosying up to Rupert Murdoch" and "joining forces with David Cameron in the Better Together campaign in 2014".
Some party members were unhappy with her comment.
Blair McDougall, the Labour activist who was head strategist of Better Together, said Long-Bailey was not being critical enough of Corbyn's campaign – which led to Labour's worst General Election result since 1935 – and instead picking on one of the party's best wins of recent years.
Defend the campaign that just took us to worst ever defeat. Attack the only major campaign Labour has won in the last decade. 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/66g8BW7MaG
— Blair McDougall (@blairmcdougall) January 6, 2020
He tweeted: "Defend the campaign that just took us to worst ever defeat. Attack the only major campaign Labour has won in the last decade." The post concluded with a shrugging emoji.
And the former MP for West Dunbartonshire, Gemma Doyle, accused Long-Bailey of attacking a "successful" campaign.
Note to candidates (well one anyway):
— Gemma Doyle (@gemmacdoyle) January 6, 2020
When members say - please mention Scotland in your pitch!
They don’t mean, have a pop at the successful campaign we ran which you weren’t involved in
She tweeted: "Note to candidates (well one anyway): When members say - please mention Scotland in your pitch! They don’t mean, have a pop at the successful campaign we ran which you weren’t involved in"
Martin McCluskey, former Labour candidate for Inverclyde, was also unhappy with Long-Bailey's comments. He posted: "Disappointing that the only mention of Scotland in here is to criticise Better Together, a winning campaign that kept our country together, protected working people, motivated Labour members and won the support of hundreds of thousands of Labour voters."
Disappointing that the only mention of Scotland in here is to criticise Better Together, a winning campaign that kept our country together, protected working people, motivated Labour members and won the support of hundreds of thousands of Labour voters. https://t.co/FzTtjED7xY
— Martin McCluskey (@martinmccluskey) January 7, 2020
Since being involved in the Better Together campaign in 2014, Labour has seen their number of MPs in Scotland reduced from 41 to just one, while the SNP has gone from having six MPs to 47.
Labour's position on independence under Corbyn was to not stand in the way of indyref2, but not grant a Section 30 order in the early days of a Labour government.
READ MORE: Jess Phillips: 'I don't think we should have another indyref'
As Corbyn is stepping down it is unclear what position a future Labour Party would now take on the matter.
This morning, leadership hopeful Jess Phillips denied indyref2 should be held.
She told Good Morning Scotland: "I don't think we should have another referendum on Scottish independence – 53% of the Scottish public in the General Election did not vote for a party that was promoting independence.
"I think that we should be talking about things that are relevant to the lives of people in Scotland.
"I can't see a circumstance where I think it would be better for Scotland to leave the UK."
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