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| Kezia Dugdale urges end to infighting on first day as Scottish Labour leader | Kezia Dugdale urges end to infighting on first day as Scottish Labour leader |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Kezia Dugdale has urged an end to party infighting, at a rally the day after her election as the youngest ever Scottish Labour leader. | Kezia Dugdale has urged an end to party infighting, at a rally the day after her election as the youngest ever Scottish Labour leader. |
| Dugdale won the party’s fast-tracked vote with a landslide victory over her rival Ken Macintosh with 72% of the vote on Saturday and is to unveil a substantially revamped shadow cabinet at Holyrood later this week with at least 50% of the seats taken by women. | |
| Labour’s Scottish contest has been overshadowed by the divisive battle for the party’s UK leadership after Jeremy Corbyn emerged as the clear favourite to win. The frontrunner drew thousands of people to packed-out rallies in four Scottish cities last week. | Labour’s Scottish contest has been overshadowed by the divisive battle for the party’s UK leadership after Jeremy Corbyn emerged as the clear favourite to win. The frontrunner drew thousands of people to packed-out rallies in four Scottish cities last week. |
| Dugdale has openly questioned Corbyn’s suitability as leader, while he claimed last week that Scottish Labour was trounced by the SNP on 7 May partly because it supported renewing Trident nuclear weapons – a stance Dugdale backs. | Dugdale has openly questioned Corbyn’s suitability as leader, while he claimed last week that Scottish Labour was trounced by the SNP on 7 May partly because it supported renewing Trident nuclear weapons – a stance Dugdale backs. |
| She told reporters on Sunday that she had had a “very respectful” private meeting with Corbyn after his triumphant Edinburgh rally on Friday. She said she expected Corbyn, or whoever was elected the new party leader, to build a wide coalition with their critics and opponents at Westminster. | She told reporters on Sunday that she had had a “very respectful” private meeting with Corbyn after his triumphant Edinburgh rally on Friday. She said she expected Corbyn, or whoever was elected the new party leader, to build a wide coalition with their critics and opponents at Westminster. |
| “It’s in their interests to do so,” Dugdale said. “The contest is taking too long. David Cameron has had a very easy summer. There’s a lot of people across the country that need to see a Tory government scrutinised. | “It’s in their interests to do so,” Dugdale said. “The contest is taking too long. David Cameron has had a very easy summer. There’s a lot of people across the country that need to see a Tory government scrutinised. |
| “I think what a lot of people in the country see just now is a party fighting itself. I want that to end. I want to see a strong Labour leader come through.” | “I think what a lot of people in the country see just now is a party fighting itself. I want that to end. I want to see a strong Labour leader come through.” |
| Dugdale’s close ally Ian Murray, now Labour’s only Scottish MP after the party lost 40 seats in Scotland at the election, has said he is unable to commit to remaining the party’s shadow Scottish secretary under Corbyn’s leadership until he sees the detail of his policies. | Dugdale’s close ally Ian Murray, now Labour’s only Scottish MP after the party lost 40 seats in Scotland at the election, has said he is unable to commit to remaining the party’s shadow Scottish secretary under Corbyn’s leadership until he sees the detail of his policies. |
| A former shadow business minister, Murray backs Corbyn’s policy of scrapping the next generation of Trident but is privately very critical of the his economic policies and the calibre of MPs who could be chosen for key posts at the Treasury and business department. | A former shadow business minister, Murray backs Corbyn’s policy of scrapping the next generation of Trident but is privately very critical of the his economic policies and the calibre of MPs who could be chosen for key posts at the Treasury and business department. |
| Sources have confirmed that there are significant tensions within the party over the Unite trade union’s active support for Corbyn, following personalised attacks by its general secretary Len McCluskey on Jim Murphy, Dugdale’s predecessor as Scottish leader. | Sources have confirmed that there are significant tensions within the party over the Unite trade union’s active support for Corbyn, following personalised attacks by its general secretary Len McCluskey on Jim Murphy, Dugdale’s predecessor as Scottish leader. |
| Speaking near the Fringe festival circus tents in Edinburgh , Dugdale said she expected to have full control over Scottish Labour policy. | Speaking near the Fringe festival circus tents in Edinburgh , Dugdale said she expected to have full control over Scottish Labour policy. |
| “I would be delighted to work with whichever [UK leadership candidate] is successful, but I will lead a Scottish Labour party,” she said. “Decisions about policy will be made here in Scotland by me. I’m in charge.” | “I would be delighted to work with whichever [UK leadership candidate] is successful, but I will lead a Scottish Labour party,” she said. “Decisions about policy will be made here in Scotland by me. I’m in charge.” |
| Dugdale secured substantial support from Labour MSPs, major unions and party activists for her leadership campaign, but Unite did not back either her or Macintosh. | Dugdale secured substantial support from Labour MSPs, major unions and party activists for her leadership campaign, but Unite did not back either her or Macintosh. |
| The union’s allies, including Corbyn’s Scottish campaign director Neil Findlay, did support the newly elected Scottish deputy leader, Alex Rowley – Gordon Brown’s former election agent. | The union’s allies, including Corbyn’s Scottish campaign director Neil Findlay, did support the newly elected Scottish deputy leader, Alex Rowley – Gordon Brown’s former election agent. |
| Dugdale said she had no anxiety about potential conflict with union leaders or Unite’s close links to Corbyn’s campaign. “It doesn’t make me queasy at all. I have a very strong mandate from the party, from the result yesterday. I have got 72% of the vote. I had strong trade union support in that as well,” she said. “Renewing the Scottish party’s relationship with the trade unions is very important to me.” | Dugdale said she had no anxiety about potential conflict with union leaders or Unite’s close links to Corbyn’s campaign. “It doesn’t make me queasy at all. I have a very strong mandate from the party, from the result yesterday. I have got 72% of the vote. I had strong trade union support in that as well,” she said. “Renewing the Scottish party’s relationship with the trade unions is very important to me.” |
| The battle over domestic Scottish policy will come to the fore this week when both Dugdale and Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and first minister, will make keynote speeches on education. | The battle over domestic Scottish policy will come to the fore this week when both Dugdale and Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and first minister, will make keynote speeches on education. |
| Buoyed by recent opinion polls giving the SNP more than 60% of the vote in a Holyrood election, Sturgeon will set out her claimed successes on education policy after eight years of SNP government in Edinburgh. | Buoyed by recent opinion polls giving the SNP more than 60% of the vote in a Holyrood election, Sturgeon will set out her claimed successes on education policy after eight years of SNP government in Edinburgh. |
| “Labour has spent the summer in an internal spiral of despair with a lacklustre leadership contest, no debate on how to further improve public services against the challenge of more UK government cuts, and continued negativity in the face of the SNP’s record of achievement,” a party spokesman said. | “Labour has spent the summer in an internal spiral of despair with a lacklustre leadership contest, no debate on how to further improve public services against the challenge of more UK government cuts, and continued negativity in the face of the SNP’s record of achievement,” a party spokesman said. |
| “As we prepare for the return of parliament and the run up to the 2016 elections, the SNP will set out a bold programme for government that will build on our record of improvement in health, education, justice and the economy.” | “As we prepare for the return of parliament and the run up to the 2016 elections, the SNP will set out a bold programme for government that will build on our record of improvement in health, education, justice and the economy.” |