KEIR Starmer should "be like Nicola" to win back votes in Scotland, according to feedback at a virtual session with the public.
Starmer launched the "Call Keir" initiative at the end of April as he puts his stamp on the Labour leadership after taking over from Jeremy Corbyn.
It's hoped that the virtual town hall-style meetings will help the party recover from a general election drubbing which saw them record their worst result since 1935.
Today two of these were scheduled for voters in Scotland, with one each for Glasgow and Fife.
In the first, one former Labour voter told Starmer: "I think if you could be like Nicola I would vote for you".
The woman said she had switched allegiance to the SNP due to the democratic deficit between and accused Labour of having "failed to be clear and sat on the fence" on Brexit.
She said "effective scrutiny" of the Tories at Westminster was lacking but that Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, had "formed a very good opposition in Westminster".
On Nicola Sturgeon's performance, she went on: "Nicola is a love-her-or-loathe-her politician but she's very transparent and trustworthy.
"The way she has handled the coronavirus issue, she's shown that if you give clear messages people have greater trust in you.
"The UK Government is giving so many mixed messages about lockdown and are not transparent.
"I think if you could be like Nicola, I might vote for you."
Defending his performance so far, Starmer said: "I hope you've seen that I've been challenging the government, I hope asking the questions people want answered."
These include issues including the death rate, with Starmer speaking about the "shattered family behind every number".
He stated: "I've been pushing the government on the issues that matter most in terms of getting us through the crisis."
On Brexit, the MP said the UK must "accept" that the Leave/Remain decision has been settled and that the question now is about the future relationship with the EU.
He said: "I've always argued we should have a relationship that's right for our economy and everything else.
"The coronavirus crisis has underlined cooperation is vital."
Pledging to be "up in Scotland to have further discussions" after lockdown is lifted, he said: " I'm listening, engaging and connecting. If you want to be a good leader you've got to listen and to be accountable."
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