LABOUR leader Keir Starmer has hit back at Nicola Sturgeon’s suggestion his party is a “pale imitation” of the Tories and told her to focus on domestic issues.
Speaking on Global’s News Agents podcast on Friday, the First Minister attacked Starmer over his stance on Brexit, saying it is “inexplicable” to voters north of the Border that the party has ruled out going back into the EU.
The FM told the podcast: “People don’t want a pale imitation of a Tory Government.”
She added: “You take Brexit, it is inexplicable to people in Scotland that we’ve now got a Labour leader at a time when Brexit is as unpopular as it ever was in Scotland, but increasingly unpopular in the rest of the UK, that won’t even countenance going back into the EU or even the single market and the customs union.
“People are crying out for a genuine alternative to the Tories and instead they’re getting this triangulating, sort of fudge the difference, just be a sort of slightly more palatable version of the Tories from Keir Starmer.”
Responding on LBC, Starmer hit out at the Scottish Government’s record on the health service.
Starmer hit back at Sturgeon’s comments on a podcast
“Can I firstly gently suggest to Nicola Sturgeon that she might want to roll up her sleeves and concentrate on the health service in Scotland,” he said.
He went on to say the “education system is on its knees”, adding: “I think that Nicola Sturgeon may want to spend a bit of time fixing some of the problems that are actually under her control in Scotland.”
Addressing her points on his stance on the EU, Starmer said: “We’ve left the EU now and there is no case for going back in.”
He said the exit agreement struck between the UK and the bloc was “a very bad deal”, but added there is “willingness to talk to a serious Labour Party, a serious incoming Labour government” among European leaders.
He said: “Across the EU, they’re not saying, well you’ve got to come back in the EU, you’ve got to be in the single market.
“They want a discussion about how we have a closer trading relationship, how we have a closer security relationship or a closer relationship on research.
“What it requires is trust and good faith in the negotiations. And that’s what’s been missing over the last few years.”
It comes as the FM also accused critics of Scotland’s gender reforms of using the debate to “cloak” their transphobia, racism and misogyny.
She also revealed that she believed there was a concerted effort to remove powers from the Scottish Parliament and she was no longer “100% sure” the Tories wouldn’t try to abolish Holyrood.
The ‘Red Tory’ name calling pisses me off too. It comes from not just Corbynistas who’re bitter about grandad but also extreme nationalists who lack pragmatism and who can’t see beyond their desire to break up the country. If they think it’s ‘red Tory’ to win elections and appeal to swing voters and not just students in rich cities then so be it.
I mean I could say the SNP are Yellow Tories because in the 1970s they led the way for Thatcher to become PM by voting with her against the Labour government in a no confidence vote.
Perhaps Sturgeon and the SNP need to pipe down. Labour have done more for this country than they’ve ever done, they’re the only reason they have devolution. Sturgeon needs the Tories in government to maintain her position and far too many people can’t see that.
She’s right, though. Starmer needs to set himself apart from the Tories instead of just agreeing to do whatever they do but more competently.
Starmer failed to defend his Brexit position, and instead deflected by telling Nicola Sturgeon to go back to the kitchen where she belongs.
>“People are crying out for a genuine alternative to the Tories and instead they’re getting this triangulating, sort of fudge the difference, just be a sort of slightly more palatable version of the Tories from Keir Starmer.”
I honestly don’t see anything wrong with the accuracy of this statement. People have been saying Labour under Starmer has just become a Tory Lite party since he took over.
Sure he’s probably going to win the next election by virtue of not being a mental Tory but to gain any credibility in office he is going to have to both distance himself from them and gain the respect of the country.
I don’t think they’re a pale imitation. I think Labour are *proper* Tories, while the Tories are something else entirely.
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LABOUR leader Keir Starmer has hit back at Nicola Sturgeon’s suggestion his party is a “pale imitation” of the Tories and told her to focus on domestic issues.
Speaking on Global’s News Agents podcast on Friday, the First Minister attacked Starmer over his stance on Brexit, saying it is “inexplicable” to voters north of the Border that the party has ruled out going back into the EU.
The FM told the podcast: “People don’t want a pale imitation of a Tory Government.”
She added: “You take Brexit, it is inexplicable to people in Scotland that we’ve now got a Labour leader at a time when Brexit is as unpopular as it ever was in Scotland, but increasingly unpopular in the rest of the UK, that won’t even countenance going back into the EU or even the single market and the customs union.
“People are crying out for a genuine alternative to the Tories and instead they’re getting this triangulating, sort of fudge the difference, just be a sort of slightly more palatable version of the Tories from Keir Starmer.”
Responding on LBC, Starmer hit out at the Scottish Government’s record on the health service.
Starmer hit back at Sturgeon’s comments on a podcast
“Can I firstly gently suggest to Nicola Sturgeon that she might want to roll up her sleeves and concentrate on the health service in Scotland,” he said.
He went on to say the “education system is on its knees”, adding: “I think that Nicola Sturgeon may want to spend a bit of time fixing some of the problems that are actually under her control in Scotland.”
Addressing her points on his stance on the EU, Starmer said: “We’ve left the EU now and there is no case for going back in.”
He said the exit agreement struck between the UK and the bloc was “a very bad deal”, but added there is “willingness to talk to a serious Labour Party, a serious incoming Labour government” among European leaders.
He said: “Across the EU, they’re not saying, well you’ve got to come back in the EU, you’ve got to be in the single market.
“They want a discussion about how we have a closer trading relationship, how we have a closer security relationship or a closer relationship on research.
“What it requires is trust and good faith in the negotiations. And that’s what’s been missing over the last few years.”
It comes as the FM also accused critics of Scotland’s gender reforms of using the debate to “cloak” their transphobia, racism and misogyny.
She also revealed that she believed there was a concerted effort to remove powers from the Scottish Parliament and she was no longer “100% sure” the Tories wouldn’t try to abolish Holyrood.
The ‘Red Tory’ name calling pisses me off too. It comes from not just Corbynistas who’re bitter about grandad but also extreme nationalists who lack pragmatism and who can’t see beyond their desire to break up the country. If they think it’s ‘red Tory’ to win elections and appeal to swing voters and not just students in rich cities then so be it.
I mean I could say the SNP are Yellow Tories because in the 1970s they led the way for Thatcher to become PM by voting with her against the Labour government in a no confidence vote.
Perhaps Sturgeon and the SNP need to pipe down. Labour have done more for this country than they’ve ever done, they’re the only reason they have devolution. Sturgeon needs the Tories in government to maintain her position and far too many people can’t see that.
She’s right, though. Starmer needs to set himself apart from the Tories instead of just agreeing to do whatever they do but more competently.
Starmer failed to defend his Brexit position, and instead deflected by telling Nicola Sturgeon to go back to the kitchen where she belongs.
>“People are crying out for a genuine alternative to the Tories and instead they’re getting this triangulating, sort of fudge the difference, just be a sort of slightly more palatable version of the Tories from Keir Starmer.”
I honestly don’t see anything wrong with the accuracy of this statement. People have been saying Labour under Starmer has just become a Tory Lite party since he took over.
Sure he’s probably going to win the next election by virtue of not being a mental Tory but to gain any credibility in office he is going to have to both distance himself from them and gain the respect of the country.
I don’t think they’re a pale imitation. I think Labour are *proper* Tories, while the Tories are something else entirely.
Meanwhile… who represents the left?