Campaign news

Katy Clark, candidate for Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour, speaks out

20th November 2014

Katy Clark, candidate for Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour, speaks out

ABANDONING NEW LABOUR FOR GOOD CAN WIN LABOUR 37% MORE SUPPORT

As the campaign for Leader and Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour heats up, Katy Clark MP blasted “failed” New Labour for taking “Scottish Labour to the edge of the abyss” and calls for an end to “business as usual.”
Commenting on the poll carried out by Survation for Progressive Polling she said:
“Last night an astonishing poll was released - it showed that up to 37% of SNP voters could come back to Labour. But only if we abandon business as usual and adopt a radical set of policies; the policy platform I am standing on to be Scottish Deputy Leader. Our party in Scotland has been taken to the political abyss by the New Labour and its architects, now is the time to choose change, and choose the candidates of change”.

Talking about the radical policy platform she has outlined Katy commented:
“From a Living Wage backed by the full force of the law, to decommissioning Trident to help fund the permanent abolition of tuition fees, or the common sense approach of bringing our railways into public ownership, and my radical pledge for free childcare from the age of 12 months - it’s there in black and white, it’s what the people of Scotland are demanding. Business as usual will lose Scotland for Labour, it’s time to win back the missing 37% by abandoning New Labour for good.”

“I’ve campaigned for these types of policies for many years and now, more than ever, they are completely in line with the views of Scottish people. Abolishing Trident is right and it’s popular; introducing a Statutory Living Wage will help thousands of people and it’ll help win us elections. We have the opportunity to change Labour and our society now for the better. “

“Throughout my life I’ve always spoken up for Scotland and for real Labour values even when that’s meant disagreeing with the UK leadership of Labour. I’m not a political insider, nor do I want to be. The next Leader of Scottish Labour should be an MSP - that’s only right - but if we’re going to get real change and a fair deal for Scotland we need someone who won’t just accept the status quo in Westminster. I’ve never done that and I never will.”

• Katy Clark MP is running to be the Deputy Leader or Scottish Labour. www.katyfordeputy.org
• Katy released a video of her campaign today at: http://youtu.be/QV8tuynNoSk
• Survation polled 1002 residents of Scotland aged 16+ who had expressed an intention during the last year to vote for SNP in the next Holyrood or Westminster election their views on policy.
• On behalf of Progressive Polling, previously declared SNP voters told Survation:
• A policy of a mandatory living wage would make 37% more likely to vote Labour
• A commitment to permanently abolishing tuition fees for university education in Scotland would make 30% more likely to vote Labour
• Promising to decommission the Trident nuclear weapons system would make 30% more likely to vote Labour
• A policy to re-nationalise Scottish rail services would make 27% more likely to vote Labour
• Promising free nursery places for children from the age of 12 months would make 21% more likely to vote Labour
• The polling release is here: http://survation.com/is-it-all-over-for-labour-in-scotland-poll-of-snp-voters/

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