Labour party conference: Ian Murray admits shadow Cabinet have been ‘nervous’ to speak about Scotland

Ian Murray has admitted the Labour shadow Cabinet have been “nervous” to speak about Scotland.

The party’s shadow Scotland secretary agreed with comments from fellow senior member Lisa Nandy that some Labour figures were worried about making a mistake and boosting the SNP.

Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman at the Labour party conference in Liverpool, Mr Murray also insisted his colleagues were the “most engaged shadow Cabinet” on Scotland he’d ever known.

Asked if Ms Nandy was right to say there was a nervousness from his shadow Cabinet colleagues to talk about Scotand, Mr Murray said “to a certain extent, she’s right”.

Ian Murray claimed some of his party were nervous speaking about Scotland.

He said: “I'm not surprised because Scottish politics is both paralysed and poisoned by the constitutional arguments, and it doesn't take a genius to work out if somebody says something, then it's pounced upon by the nationalists and their outriders, particularly on social media, to trash it. So there's a little bit of hesitancy.

“There's also a little bit of hesitancy of not saying the wrong thing, and that's so difficult in the context of Scottish politics because it's so complex in terms of the devolution of powers and who has responsibility for what.

“I wouldn’t know, for example, about the pedestrianisation of Norwich high street, but I know it’s really controversial.

“There is a little nervousness about it, but this shadow Cabinet is much more engaged about Scotland, much more confident about it, and if you look at the announcement from [shadow chancellor] Rachel Reeves on the Acorn Project, it demonstrates a Labour Government making bold decisions and investment in Scotland.”

Asked if he’d like to see his colleagues be bolder in talking about Scotland, Mr Murray insisted they wanted to visit and play a bigger role.

He said: “They come to me and say I would like to come to Scotland, so they do come.

“Rachel Reeves was there for a couple of days, Keir [Starmer] comes as often as he possibly can, and that’s a conscious decision he makes to come up and talk about Scottish issues in Scotland with Scots, and the shadow Cabinet are very engaged on the Scottish stuff.

“The Gordon Brown Commission is part of that.

“They’re always seeking advice from myself or [Scottish Labour leader] Anas’ [Sarwar’s] team about what would be a good intervention or a good visit, who should they go with, what should they be saying.

“This is probably the most engaged shadow Cabinet that I've known in terms of knowing the importance of Scotland and also the relevance of it.”

Mr Murray also criticised Mick Lynch, the secretary-general of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers [RMT] union, for calling for Sir Keir to resign.

He said: “Mick Lynch is not a member of the Labour party, his trade union isn’t affiliated to the Labour party, and Mick Lynch has stood against the Labour party and spent the last 20 years opposing it.

“It’s hardly a surprise when someone with that track record opposes the Labour party and wants Keir to resign.”

The Edinburgh South MP also insisted any suggestion Labour was not a “left wing” party under Sir Keir was wrong.

He said: “We’re renationalising railways, that’s a policy the public believe in, and it’s a policy that Mick Lynch believes in.

“It’s slightly disappointing that he won’t work with the Labour party to develop these policies, but is always working against it.

“The entire Labour movement from centre to left is committed to getting us into Government."

Mr Murray also criticised the SNP, claiming Scotland’s governing party was becoming less important.

He said: “The SNP to a certain extent are becoming an irrelevance in this conversation because this is about the Labour party winning the next UK general election, which has three parts to it.

"Getting rid of this rancid Tory Government, which is what the SNP would agree with.

“It’s about ensuring the UK Labour party can be a force for good, along with politics at Westminster.

“The third thing is, Scotland needs to play its part in that. We can’t spend the next 20 years trying to persuade Scotland to stay. We’ve got to be able to say under Labour, Britain will be such a good place that you want to stay, and that’s what the SNP are afraid of.”

His comments come with Sir Keir set to vow in his keynote speech on Tuesday that only his party can deliver change.

The Labour leader is expected to say: “The challenges we face — the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, standing up to [Vladimir] Putin — are common across our four nations.

“We saw off the threat of fascism and deadly disease, together. We built the NHS and the welfare state, together.

“But I don’t believe in our Union just because of our history. I believe in it because of our future.

“I know we can meet the great challenges to come, build new beacons of fairness that light up the islands we share.

“Scotland needs a Labour Government that can deliver change. But it also needs the power and resources to shape its own future, whoever’s in power in Westminster.

“And the SNP are not interested in this. For them, Scotland’s success in the UK is met with gritted teeth, seen as a roadblock to independence. And so, they stand in the way.

“We can’t work with them, we won’t work with them – no deal under any circumstances.

“A fairer, greener, more dynamic Scotland. In a fairer, greener, more dynamic, Labour Britain.”

Monday also saw Labour members vote in favour of three electoral reform motions, including to replace first past the post with a form of proportional representation at general elections.

One of the motions stated: “Labour must make a commitment to introduce proportional representation for general elections in the next manifesto.

“During its first term in office, the next Labour government must change the voting system for general elections to a form of PR.”