Scottish Labour 'joined at the hip' with UK party, argues deputy leader Jackie Baillie amid 'division' claims

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie has made the defence after Sir Keir Starmer said anyone looking to find division between Scottish and UK Labour would have a “long, long search”

Scottish Labour insists it is “joined at the hip” with UK Labour, as the party is accused of being “engulfed in division and disharmony”.

After setting out his vision for Scotland exclusively in The Scotsman, Sir Keir Starmer will be out campaigning in Rutherglen and Hamilton West with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

The by-election in this seat is being billed as a straight fight between the SNP and Labour - and the SNP says Labour is a party divided.

Scottish Labour candidate for Rutherglen and Hamilton West Michael Shanks and deputy leader Jackie Baillie launch Scottish Labour's by-election campaign. Picture: John Devlin

They say UK Labour and Scottish Labour are at odds on a number of policies, including the to child benefit cap, the bedroom tax, tuition fees, Brexit and Trident.

However Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, has dismissed these claims and said this is just devolution in action.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Baillie said: “Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar have a very strong and close working relationship.

“All of us are joined at the hip in wanting a Labour government, but at the heart of this is devolution.

“We will make policies we think are right in Scotland, and sometimes that will lead to different decisions.”

She added Scottish Labour is “very keen” on scrapping the two child benefit cap, despite Sir Keir saying he would not do this if UK Labour wins the next general election.

Ms Baillie said: “We have made no secret of that, and we will always press the incoming UK Government to move as fast as we can to get rid of it.

“But I know the challenge of poverty is much more than a debate on just one policy.

“I’m not surprised this is exciting our political opponents - they want to talk up division because they can’t defend their own record in government.

“They are desperate because the division is in the SNP and the Tories.”

She added there is a “clear difference” between Labour and the Conservatives and it is “nonsense” to suggest otherwise.

During her interview she also defended their candidate in the by-election Michael Shanks for leaving the party under Jeremy Corbyn.

She said: “He came back to the party under Keir Starmer.

“The party has changed, we are trying to win elections to ensure the government we put in place has fair policies that help people, not just in Scotland, but across the UK.

“That’s what Labour is about, bringing back fairness and justice to the economy and the public services we want to provide for the country in the future.”

Meanwhile the SNP’s by-election candidate Katy Loudon said Sir Keir must think voters are “buttoned up the back”.

She said: “Labour is engulfed in division and disharmony following his countless U-turns to mimic Tory policy, as anyone can see after a very, very short search.

“To suggest otherwise is absurd.

“On his watch, the Labour Party are at odds on a number of key issues from their backing of brutal Westminster austerity policies to their support for Brexit which has hammered Scotland’s economy.”

She then dubbed Sir Keir’s visit to Rutherglen a “media opportunity orchestrated by Labour HQ”, and said voting for Labour would end with “the same from a broken Westminster system which has completely failed households across Scotland”.