LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has been challenged to show respect for democracy and Scotland's right to hold an independence referendum ahead of an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The SNP also called on Starmer to abandon his party’s numerous alliances with the Tories in council chambers across Scotland.
Starmer is in Edinburgh on Friday and set to appear in Iain Dale’s All Talk Show at the EICC as part of the arts festival.
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Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross will appear on the show together ahead of Starmer at 1.30pm, with the London leader taking to the stage at 4.30pm.
Previously, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon took part in an interview with Dale and revealed that Tory leadership contender Liz Truss had asked her how to get into Vogue when they met at COP26.
Ahead of Starmer’s festival appearance Paul McLennan, SNP MSP for East Lothian, said that if Labour wants to salvage a “shred of dignity” in Scotland then they must respect the country’s right to “have a say over their future”.
He said: "From supporting Brexit, doing dodgy council deals with the Tories and blocking Scotland's right to hold a referendum - How the Labour party leader can look people in Scotland in the eye whilst ignoring their voice is beyond me.
"If Starmer wants to salvage a shred of integrity then it's time for him to abandon Labour's alliance with the Tories and respect Scotland's right to have a say over its future.
"And whilst the Labour leader is in Edinburgh, he can explain why the party is suspending councillors in the city for refusing to do grubby backroom deals with the Tories – the very party they claim to want to kick out of power.
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"For as long as Keir Starmer continues his obsession of mimicking the Tories, Labour will slide further into irrelevance and people in Scotland will know that the only chance of securing a better, wealthier and fairer future is as an independent country.”
Scottish Labour, under Sarwar, has refused to engage on the issue of an independence referendum since the October 2023 date was announced, with the leader frequently claiming it won’t go ahead.
The party have said instead they are preparing to fight the next general election in May 2024, and have been focussing their efforts on a ballot which is just under two years away.
Starmer has previously stated that if Labour wins the next Westminster election and he becomes prime minister, he would not grant a Section 30 order to allow a referendum to go ahead. He has also repeatedly ruled out any form of deal or powersharing arrangement with the SNP.
He said: “This argument won’t change and that is why we’re very clear no deals into the election, no deals out of it.”
And earlier this week, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the idea of Scottish independence is “not very nice” as it would mean “perpetual Conservatism at Westminster”.
Speaking on Dale's show on Monday, Rayner further claimed that she did not want to be “anywhere near” a second independence referendum because the Brexit vote had been “enough” for her.
As the cost of living crisis worsens, with inflation predicted to peak at 13% and the energy price cap expected to soar to £4266 in January, Starmer has come under criticism for taking a holiday and the party’s slow response.
Instead former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has been calling on the UK Government to bring in a number of interventions, but ministers have said the public will have to wait until the next PM is in post in September.
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