Jim Murphy promises to stop cash flowing south

Labour leadership front-runner Jim Murphy has unveiled plans to assert the party’s freedom from London with proposals to cut a key funding pipeline which sees money go south of the Border.
Murphy says that under his leadership, Scottish Labours general secretary and all party staff will be hired by him. Picture: TSPLMurphy says that under his leadership, Scottish Labours general secretary and all party staff will be hired by him. Picture: TSPL
Murphy says that under his leadership, Scottish Labours general secretary and all party staff will be hired by him. Picture: TSPL

The former Scottish secretary is expected to warn today that he will be in control of the party north of the Border if elected leader, following the turf war that prompted Johann Lamont’s controversial departure.

And he has pledged to raise “more money than ever before” for Labour in Scotland.

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Mr Murphy will announce that a £155,000 levy currently paid to the UK party by Scottish Labour councillors will stay in Scotland if he wins. He has written to Iain McNicol, the UK party general secretary, to outline his intentions.

Ms Lamont accused Ed Miliband of treating Scotland like a “branch office” after Scottish general secretary Ian Price was sacked without her knowledge.

Mr Murphy will warn in a keynote speech today: “People should be in no doubt. If I am elected leader, decisions about policy and how the Scottish Labour Party is run will be taken in Scotland, nowhere else.”

Mr Murphy says that under his leadership, Scottish Labour’s general secretary and all party staff will be hired by him.

The MP is up against Holyrood health spokesman Neil Findlay and former transport minister Sarah Boyack.

His proposals are the clearest attempt yet from any of the three candidates in the Labour leadership race to address the embarrassing revelations of interference from London, which were behind Ms Lamont’s decision to stand down last month.

Mr Murphy has also set a fundraising target of £1 million by the time of the 2015 general election, through increased donations from unions, businesses and individuals, as well as attracting more party members.

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He wants to see the party invest at least £5,000 in each Scottish and UK parliamentary seat held by Labour and in the key Holyrood target seats for 2016.

At least one paid organiser will work in every Scottish Parliament region, while a representative of Labour’s councillors will sit on the political cabinet.

“If I am elected leader I will set an unprecedented target of raising £1m to support the work of the Scottish Labour Party.

“I will raise more money for our party than ever before – from trade unions, businesses, individuals and by attracting more members to our party,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Findlay said: “The next leader of the Labour Party in Scotland will have unprecedented powers over the structures and procedures of the party. If I am elected as leader of the Scottish Labour Party I make this promise to all members of the Labour Party and affiliates, including trade unions, that I will listen and work with them as together we work to make Scottish Labour bigger, better and more autonomous.

“A Labour Party has to be collective and co-operative in nature – and under a Neil Findlay leadership , that’s what the Scottish Labour Party will be.”

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