LEN McCluskey says Scottish Labour are in danger of "withering on the vine" if they don't support a second Scottish independence referendum.
The former general secretary of Unite the Union made the comments on the Novara Media podcast and spoke on a range of topics, including his relationship with Labour Leader Keir Starmer, devolution and the changing face of the Labour Party.
As the podcast neared its end, the fierce corbynista spoke about the danger of "anti-democratic behaviour" and said Scottish Labour was in danger of “withering on the vine” if they continue to reject calls for a second indyref.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford 'feels sorry' for Douglas Ross over PM support
He said: “There’s going to be issues in relation to challenging democracy or anti-democratic behaviour by the Labour party and also the whole issue of federalism may emerge again …
"I think Scottish Labour are in danger of withering on the vine unless they’re more imaginative [and] embrace a second independence but at the same time channel energy into the whole concept of a federal UK.”
However, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has previously said that his party cannot “pretend we believe in something we don’t” and that candidates in the upcoming council elections must support the union.
McCluskey was a fervent supporter of Jeremy Corbyn during his time as Labour leader and has been highly critical of Starmer's leadership of the party.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel