SNP ‘sounding like Tory ministers’ says Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy compared the SNP to the Conservatives. Picture: Hemedia

The new Scottish Labour leader has already said the party is as open to supporters of independence as it is to No voters, in an attempt to move on from last year’s referendum.

However, Mr Murphy yesterday attempted to outflank the SNP on the left as he suggested the party’s approach to government was similar to that of the Conservatives at Westminster in some areas.

Mr Murphy called for the Scottish Government to apologise to NHS patients, claiming ministers had broken their own waiting-time law more than 12,000 times.

He said the administration at Holyrood was not on top of a developing “crisis” around NHS waiting times and that SNP ministers were “starting to sound like Tory ministers” at Westminster and should say sorry to every patient not treated within the legal waiting time limit of 12 weeks.

Mr Murphy, speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Politics, went on to state that Yes voters who wanted to defeat the Conservatives in May’s General Election had more in common with Labour than the SNP.

He said: “We have so much in common in the sense of social justice. The referendum is one disagreement, yet there is so much that unites us. A vote for the SNP is a vote that could lead to a Conservative victory.”

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said: “Jim Murphy was all over the place talking about Yes voters - Scottish Labour having joined with the Tories for over two years to ridicule and attack those voting for independence just a few months ago.

“Scottish Labour are clearly in panic mode.” and willing to say anything to win Yes voters - confirming that they simply can’t be trusted.”