UK Government mistakes harming Scottish Labour in the polls, says top GMB union boss

GMB general secretary Gary Smith said “Scottish Labour is struggling because the national party has made a lot of mistakes”.

The Edinburgh native said the Scottish party needed “to have a clearer identity and set of policies”.

He said the UK government “really needs to get things moving”.

Mr Smith was speaking at a Politico fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday.

Get daily political analysis - subscribe for free to The Steamie

He said: “Scottish Labour had a decent general election because the national party was doing well, and Scottish Labour is struggling because the national party has made a lot of mistakes and is struggling as well.

“I think the position of the Scottish party is going to absolutely be impacted by Labour nationally. The Labour government really needs to get things moving.

“I’m hugely optimistic, which is not my normal disposition. I think things will turn, but I think the challenge for Scottish Labour is in terms of ‘what do they stand for?’ And we’re still in that doubt.

“I think what Scottish Labour and the Labour government nationally needs to do is amplify more of the good stuff that is going on both in Scotland and across the UK.”

Mr Smith continued: “I think the national party position is impacting Scottish Labour. The challenge for Scottish Labour is to have a clearer identity and set of policies.

“And then I think [the job] for Scottish Labour and the national government is amplifying the good stuff that they are doing.

“The Harland and Wolff yards are open because of an interventionist Labour government. Steel is still being produced in this country because of an interventionist Labour government.

“Babcocks in Fife is going to be busy because of a Labour government. And we’re rebuilding shipbuilding on the Clyde, why are we not telling that story in a better way?”

Mr Smith has been a huge critic of the UK government’s energy policy, saying that cutting off oil and gas will only cost jobs. He said the government’s policy was costing Labour in the polls, and was particularly harming the party in Aberdeen and the north east of Scotland.

He also said he would like to see more nuclear jobs in Scotland, but claimed they were being blocked by the SNP.

Mr Smith said: “We want to see new nuclear now in Wales and in Scotland because that’s real jobs.”

He continued: “New nuclear is a huge opportunity ... let’s talk about Torness, let’s talk about Hunterston in Scotland and the bonkers policy of the SNP which is against new nuclear.

“In terms of oil and gas , we are just in the wrong place. Not just on licencing, but also on taxation.

“We can bring investment, jobs, hope and opportunity back particularly in the north-east of Scotland.”

The union boss added: “It’s costing Labour. You go to the north-east of Scotland, they’re not voting Labour.”

Mr Smith also said Labour should be “challenging the SNP’s pretty rotten track record on the economy and investment and jobs”. He said: “What we do need to talk about is the SNP’s track record because it’s lousy.”