Scottish Labour risks irrelevance if it doesn’t listen to voters

This election felt like watching a slow motion car crash. The leadership got this wrong, and they need to fix it - by being straight with people and staying true to our values.

By Ged Killen

RUTHERGLEN, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 19: The new Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, meets with MSPs, EMPs and volunteers at Fernhill Community Centre on November 19, 2017 in Rutherglen, Scotland. Party members voted for Leonard to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Party leader following her resignation in August this year. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

People in Scotland have used this election to send a clear message that they remain opposed to Brexit. Across the UK, Labour has lost out to unambiguously pro-Remain parties.

Our result in Scotland was a disaster, made all the more painful by the loss of David Martin, the UK’s longest serving MEP. I pay tribute to David’s excellent work on behalf of the people of Scotland over three decades. The result is certainly no fault of his and no reflection on his extraordinary record.