Labour demise ‘pitiful and sad’, says Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon described Labour's demise as 'pitiful and sad'. Picture: PA

The Scottish First Minister told Alastair Campbell, who was director of communications for Tony Blair, that Labour was not “capable” of providing strong opposition to the Conservative government and Westminster, and it was her SNP that was “filling that void”.

Mr Campbell interviewed the SNP leader for the latest issue of GQ magazine in the period between Labour’s defeat at the general election and the election of new leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He asked Ms Sturgeon about the state of the Labour Party as she had played a “role in its demise”.

She told him: “I’m not going to cry crocodile tears. The SNP and Labour have long been opponents, but there is something pitiful and sad about it.

“The UK needs a strong opposition and Labour shows no signs of being capable of being that.

“The SNP is filling that void and will go on seeking to do that.

“As First Minister, I think every country, every democracy, benefits from a strong opposition.”

She continued added continued: “I feel sorry for generations of Labour voters and supporters who must look and wonder what on earth has gone wrong and what Labour is for.

“In Scotland, it is not rocket science. Labour got lazy, complacent, arrogant and lost any real sense of purpose.”

“The question ‘What is Labour for?’ does not have an easy answer in Scotland, or in the UK. What is saddest is the failure to stand up and argue your view of the world.”