Watch Scottish Labour election campaign launch: Starmer says ‘no Labour without Scotland’ and vows to cut energy bills

Keir Starmer has declared there is “no Labour without Scotland” ahead of the launch of the party’s general election campaign in the country, stressing that now is the opportunity to “turn the page on 14 years of Tory government and the failed SNP”.

The Labour leader will this morning launch the party’s campaign north of the border alongside his Scottish Labour counterpart Anas Sarwar, with a focus on the cost of energy and a pledge that Labour “will bring down energy bills for good”.

One of Labour’s key policy commitments is the delivery of Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company that the party has said will be headquartered in Scotland. Starmer declared ahead of today’s event that Scotland “will lead the clean energy revolution” under a Labour government.

The Labour leader said: “We can’t just send a message in this election, we must send a government – but we can only do that if we rebuild trust and chart a new course for the country.

“The Labour Party is humbly asking for the opportunity to change the country. To serve the entire country. To be clear, there is no national renewal without a strong Scotland. There is no Labour without Scotland. There is no changed Britain without Scotland.”

Sarwar added: “After 17 years of SNP failure and 14 years of Tory chaos, Scotland has a chance to deliver a government that is on the side of the working people of Scotland – with Scottish MPs at its heart.

“A UK Labour government with Scottish Labour MPs will boot the Tories out of office, maximise Scotland’s influence, bring down bills, make work pay and deliver the change that Scotland needs.”

You can watch a livestream of the event below:

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