THE Scottish Greens first ever MSP has officially joined Scottish Labour.
Robin Harper, who was an MSP between 1999 and 2011, is now calling for voters to back Labour to get rid of the Tories.
We previously told how Patrick Harvie said he was “really sorry” to see Harper campaigning for Labour and the Daily Record now reports the former MSP has officially joined the party.
Labour MP Ian Murray (below), the shadow secretary of state for Scotland, has secured Harper’s endorsement.
In a letter to local voters, Harper said: “I want to tell you why I’ve joined the Scottish Labour Party and why I’m supporting Ian Murray at the General Election on July 4.
“I desperately want to see the back of this Conservative government, who have crashed our economy, degraded our political life and failed to tackle climate change.
“The SNP, and until recently their Green coalition partners, have also failed to take action on the environment.
READ MORE: Tory candidate set to replace Douglas Ross as MSP lives in London
“John Swinney has failed to rule out supporting new oil and gas licences and the SNP have rejected Labour’s calls for a windfall tax on record oil and gas profits.”
Harper previously resigned from the Greens after claiming they had “lost the plot” as a party.
At the time, he said he was concerned about their stance on key issues, including independence and trans rights.
Harper also backed Labour’s GB Energy – which was recently branded a sham as Keir Starmer was forced to admit it was “not an energy company” but an “investment vehicle”.
“Investment in renewable energy would be paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants making record profits during a cost-of-living crisis, something that the SNP oppose," said Harper.
He added: “This election provides us with a now-or-never opportunity to remove the Tories from power and end the chaos, failure and inaction that has marked their fourteen years in government.
“Only Labour is able to do this across the UK and only Labour has a plan to halt environmental destruction.”
Speaking on the endorsement, Murray added: “His decision to join the Scottish Labour Party demonstrates that we are the only party with a clear plan to deliver on Scotland’s green potential – creating thousands of clean energy jobs and cutting energy bills for good, with GB energy paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
“At this election, only a vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to remove the Tories from power, and I’m delighted that Robin is helping our campaign to make sure we get the Tories out and deliver the change Scotland needs.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel