ARE a number of “frustrated” Scottish Labour MPs and MSPs about to quit the party?
That’s the claim being made by Luciana Berger, the former Labour MP who earlier this month joined the LibDems.
Berger, who left Jeremy Corbyn’s party over antisemitic bullying, told Scotland on Sunday that she had spoken to former colleagues in Scottish Labour who were considering their positions.
Asked whether they might follow her out of the party, she told the paper: “It’s a very personal decision for anyone to choose to leave the party they’ve been a member of, activist for, elected member representative for … Everyone has to make that decision at the time they see fit.
“I certainly know there is an increasing amount of disquiet. People are incredibly frustrated, whether it’s on the Brexit issue, whether they’re being run roughshod over like former colleagues in Scotland, whether it’s my experience trying to deal with issues around racism … for all those reasons, I know there are many colleagues that are considering their positions.
“When we face a general election, which could come sooner rather than later, they will have to make the same decision they expect their constituents to make.
“They will have to decide whether they can knock on doors and say. ‘Vote for me and put Jeremy Corbyn into Number 10.’ I couldn’t do that.
“They’re having to grapple with the same decision about whether they can do that. And I know that many people, including Scottish colleagues, are contending with that conundrum.
“I hope that in the national interest, they will do the right thing and leave.”
The Liverpool Wavertree MP, quit Labour in February, setting up the new Independent Group of MPs.
She joined the LibDems earlier this month.
Berger said Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard was being “ignored” and “disrespected” by Corbyn over indyref2.
She said: “I know there is an incredible amount of resentment both among members and some of my former colleagues that they are being treated essentially as a branch office of the Labour party in London.
“It’s highly disrespectful as a starting point, because first and foremost – they know best.
“It’s highly disrespectful to the leader of Scottish Labour. Why does Jeremy Corbyn think he knows better than our colleagues, people that live in Scotland?”
She added: “Ultimately on Scottish independence, it comes down to this: everyone should be listening to Scottish members and the Scottish leadership, who know better than most that [independence] is not something that should be on the table.”
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