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THE Labour Party’s so-called General Election "campaigning bible" doesn’t mention Scotland once.
The 24-page document has been sent to each of Labour’s election candidates – including those north of the border.
It’s full of campaign slogans and talking points in an attempt to win over the electorate. These include "It's Time for a Change", "The Tories Have Failed", "Labour Has Changed", and "Labour has a Long Term Plan" – readily packaged for activists.
"Let's Get Britain's Future Back," adorns the front cover, alongside a stern-looking photo of head honcho Keir Starmer – one of several featured in the glossy tome (including the above), as well as one featuring Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (below).
But you don’t see much of an attempt to appeal to the Scottish electorate. In fact, the document doesn’t reference Scotland once.
If elected later this year, “new specialist domestic abuse workers” in 999 control rooms and “specialist rape investigation units” have been promised to every police force across England and Wales.
Free breakfast clubs have also been earmarked for every primary school in England. And the document highlights that the waiting list for community mental health care in England hit 1.2 million last year.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: Starmer has no appetite for change – independence is the only way
Of course, this is for a Westminster election and therefore doesn’t necessarily cover devolved issues - but Scotland is still currently part of the UK, and Labour winning a General Election will impact Scots.
This document will be poured over by Labour election candidates from Edinburgh East to Orkney and Shetland. Activists in Scotland will be arming themselves with its slogans.
Will Scottish Labour be formulating their own Scotland-centric “campaign bible”?
No, they aren’t currently, The National has been told.
Of course, a lot of the policies will – by their very nature – impact and interest Scots.
The document sets out five “fully funded national missions”, including to get Britain building again and getting the NHS “back on its feet”.
Another is the launch of Great British Energy – a new publicly owned, clean energy company. Starmer said it would be headquartered in Scotland last June. However, you wouldn’t have known that last part if you read the document.
Labour will need to win big across England and Wales to secure a majority government, and it's no secret that they want to take as many seats as they can from the SNP in Scotland.
But the latter seems far less pressing if this “campaign bible” is anything to go by - they don't even mention their biggest rivals north of the Border either.
Scottish Labour have been approached for comment.
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