Leader hopeful Kezia Dugdale says she is not 'wildly different' from Corbyn

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-33879086

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Scottish Labour leadership hopeful Kezia Dugdale said her politics were not "wildly different" from left-winger Jeremy Corbyn, who is favourite to win the UK party's contest.

Ms Dugdale is battling Ken Macintosh for the top Scottish Labour job.

She told the BBC that she and Mr Corbyn belonged to a party that was a "big family in a broad movement".

However, in a Guardian newspaper interview she had questioned the MP's chances of becoming prime minister.

The 33-year-old made her position clear by saying: "I think that I and Jeremy Corbyn share the same views when it comes to trying to build a fairer more equal economy, in trying to build a welfare state in a system that is fair and protects people who need our help."

Ms Dugdale recognised that Mr Corbyn - who is hoping to beat rival MPs Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham - had a "tremendous amount of support".

She said he was offering "straight-talking, honest politics".

During her interview with BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Dugdale defended the newspaper piece in which she said she would need to be convinced that Mr Corbyn, who has defied the party whip 500 times, could be prime minister.

The MSP said all she had done was "ask the question", adding that it was "hardly the most critical thing anybody has said about his campaign".

Ms Dugdale said she was looking forward to meeting Mr Corbyn later in the week when he will visit Scotland as part of his leadership push.

The politician, who became an MSP in 2011, believed she was the right person to lead the party north of the border.

She said: "Scotland has an exciting future and the Labour Party has got a big part to play in that and I am going to earn the right to be heard for our party going forward and try and bring people back by setting out our values."

Ms Dugdale said she was not a tribal politician and had worked with the SNP in the past.

The winner of the Scottish Labour leadership election will be announced at an event in Stirling on Saturday.