2 C
Inverness
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Divided Labour Party in Meltdown as Blame Games Begins

- Advertisement -

The SNP has said Labour Party cuts to the winter fuel payment show that “Anas Sarwar can’t be trusted to stand up for Scotland” – as Scottish Labour descends into a bitter briefing war over its slump in the polls and by-election defeats.

According to the Daily Record, Scottish Labour Party MSPs are “frustrated” with Scottish Labour MPs for failing to speak out against Keir Starmer’s cuts to the winter fuel payment, which will hit an estimated 880,000 Scottish pensioners – despite Anas Sarwar also failing to speak out.

A party source told the Record “they need to know their lane and stay in their lane”, after Labour MPs tried to shift the blame back onto their MSP counterparts.

It comes after Labour lost two council by-elections to the SNP in Dundee yesterday, and follows a series of opinion polls showing support for Labour has plummeted.

A YouGov poll, published yesterday, found the Labour government now has a minus 52 approval rating in Scotland, down by 46 points since July – with 61% of Scots disapproving of the Labour government’s record and just 9% approving.

Separately, an Opinium Poll for the Observer, published on 29th September, found Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have fallen to their lowest ever levels at  minus 26, down by 45 points since July.

The poll also found a majority of voters (57%) think the Labour government is ‘worse’ or ‘about the same’ as the last Tory government, and a plurality of voters (45%) think it is ‘out of touch’ with ordinary people.

Meanwhile, polling by Survation for the Times, published in September, found a majority of Scots (56%) do not think the Labour government is “acting in the best interests of Scotland” – while just 15% do.

A majority (51%) opposed Labour’s cuts to winter fuel payments, and almost half of Labour voters in Scotland (44%) think Keir Starmer’s government has “failed to meet expectations”.

Commenting, SNP MP for Dundee Central Chris Law said:

“It’s clear the bitterly-divided Scottish Labour Party has returned to its old ways with Labour MPs and MSPs fighting like rats in a sack over who’s to blame for their slump in the polls.

“The truth is – they are all to blame.

“The Labour Party promised change but all we have seen is Labour politicians lining their pockets with thousands of pounds of designer clothes, free holidays and luxury freebies, while imposing painful austerity cuts on the rest of us.

“Anas Sarwar might be busy briefing against Keir Starmer but he can’t escape the fact that he failed to speak out when his Scottish Labour MPs voted to cut the winter fuel payment for almost 900,000 Scottish pensioners, and he did nothing when they voted to keep the two child benefit cap, which is pushing thousands of Scottish children into poverty.

“During the election he promised he would stand up to Keir Starmer but instead he has rolled over, rubber-stamped Starmer’s austerity cuts and shafted Scotland in the process.

“It’s clear Anas Sarwar can’t be trusted to stand up for Scotland’s interests.

“In contrast, the SNP will do everything we can to stand up for Scotland and oppose Labour government austerity cuts.”

- Advertisement -
Latest news
- Advertisement -spot_img
Related news
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img