SIR Keir Starmer has been accused of "hiding from the press" by only inviting along one sympathetic newspaper to a media event in Scotland today.
The Labour leader was visiting Glasgow this morning but decided to ask only broadcasters and a reporter and photographer from the Press Association along to cover his trip.
He failed to ask most of the press corps - including The National and the Glasgow Times - opting instead to be interviewed by the Daily Record, which has traditionally supported Labour.
The National asked this morning to attend the event and was told that only PA would be attending.
"It doesn't say much for the content of the message or the confidence of the messenger if Labour appear to be hiding from the nation's press and are picking and choosing what press they go with," the SNP MP Tommy Sheppard (above) told The National.
"If you have a policy that you want people to support, you have to make it available to scrutiny from the media. It runs against all our democratic traditions to do otherwise.
"The whole point of having a free press is that politicians expose themselves to a range of views and a range of criticism. It's Trumpian only to have a platform in a sympathetic newspaper while condemning others."
Sheppard added that Labour needed to accept that Scots had voted in favour of indyref2 at the Holyrood election last year.
"Labour's problem now is that it is trying to deny something that most of their supporters want, which is a choice on Scotland's future," he said.
"That's why Labour are losing elections because they are refusing to give people a democratic say in how their country should be governed and give them a choice of becoming politically independent of Westminster....Now is the time for Labour to learn some humility, listen to the people and respect the judgement people made in a free and fair election."
During today's visit Starmer met with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in the east end of Glasgow and visited the Forge Market in Glasgow.
Starmer and Sarwar were using the visit to gather more support for the party ahead of the council elections in May.
They hope to take advantage of the Tory partygate crisis and win back voters who may have supported the Conservatives at the last council elections in 2016, when the party picked up support in traditional Labour areas.
Recent polls show Starmer now 12 points ahead of Johnson and his party 10 points clear of the Tories.
Starmer and Sarwar have called on the SNP in Holyrood and the Conservatives in Westminster to use powers available to them to help ease the burden as high inflation chips away at people’s wages and sees prices climb.
Starmer, speaking ahead of a visit to Glasgow on Friday, said he wants to see VAT on energy bills scrapped and “targeted action to save most households around £200 a year, or up to £600 for those who need it most”.
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He added: “Boris Johnson and the Tories are scrambling to save their own skins, hopelessly distracted by a pending criminal investigation into their behaviour at Downing Street.
“Meanwhile, people across Scotland are worried about their bills, rising prices and how much it will cost to fill up the car next week.”
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