Today Yvette Cooper is visiting Scotland. Cooper, who is in the running be Labour’s next leader, will go to both Glasgow and Edinburgh in an effort to understand the “profound nature of the challenge” the party faces in Scotland.
This comes after Labour lost all but one of 41 Scottish seats they held prior to the General Election last month. Cooper will meet with business people, former Labour voters who have migrated to the SNP in recent years and representatives from Scottish Labour.
“I was born in Inverness and I worked for John Smith many years ago. His strong moral values, his faith in equality and public service had a big impact on me.
“So it breaks my heart to see a shift towards the politics of separation, especially in communities which care so deeply about solidarity and the importance of tackling inequality. I think we should care just as much about children in poverty or problems facing families in Lanarkshire as Leeds.”
She went on the explain that she was determined to rebuild the party to make sure they can win again:
“Labour can only win in the United Kingdom if we win in central Scotland as well as Middle England.
“And I still believe that we can do this through the enduring importance of our Labour values, starting with the fight for Labour in the Holyrood elections in 2016. I want to see a strong, vibrant Scottish Labour holding the SNP to account in Holyrood, with a strong Labour opposition taking the fight to the Tories in Westminster.”
“Labour has to win again in Scotland – that’s why I am making my first trip here in the early days of this Labour leadership campaign.”
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