Scottish Labour Party’s new proposed Clause IV: full text

Last month, Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy announced that he would seek to amend Clause IV of the party’s constitution, in a similar move to Tony Blair’s rewriting of UK Labour’s Clause IV twenty years ago.

Today, Scottish Labour’s Executive Committee met to draw up the wording for the new clause, which will be put to a members’ vote at a one day conference in March.

The new clause commits the party constitutionally to supporting a “permanent and powerful Scottish Parliament”, that all policy areas devolved to Holyrood can be determined autonomously by the Scottish Labour Party, and that the party will always act with “common purpose” with the UK-wide Labour Party and labour movement.

The new clause in full can be is:

‘The Scottish Labour Party is a democratic socialist party rooted in social justice, which seeks to represent the people of Scotland. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many not the few; where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe and where we live together freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect.

To these ends we work for the patriotic interest of the people of Scotland:

– For the success of a permanent and powerful Scottish Parliament.

– Decisions on policy that is devolved to the Scottish Parliament will be decided by the Scottish Labour Party.

– In common purpose with all parts of the Labour Party and Labour Movement across the UK for the advancement of Scotland’s interests and the benefit of all.

– With the Scottish people to create policy in Scotland for a just society, a prosperous economy, a vibrant cultural life, and a more sustainable, democratic Scotland.

– With others, across the UK and internationally, to unlock the potential of all and to create a fairer society. 

Scottish Labour will work towards these aims with trade unions and the co-operative movement, and also with voluntary organisations, consumer groups and other representative bodies.

On the basis of these principles, Scottish Labour seeks the trust of the Scottish people to govern.’