JEREMY Corbyn's senior advisor on Scotland has warned Keir Starmer and Richard Leonard that "becoming a Better Together tribute act" is the worst path for the party.
In a scathing attack published today, Tommy Kane, who was Corbyn’s policy advisor when he was Labour leader, said such an approach would mean "Scotland is going to be lost to Labour for a generation".
He argued the move would mean Starmer would have to win Labour seats in Conservative heartlands such as Somerset to get into power at the next General Election in 2024.
"Far too many see our staunch and absolutist position on independence and reject us before they can engage with the bread and butter policies.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer advised to make Labour the 'voice of the Union'
“There is no easy path for Labour in Scotland, but becoming a Better Together tribute act is the worst one available.
“If the party continues on its current trajectory, Keir Starmer had better plan how to win Tory seats in Somerset in 2024 – because Scotland is going to be lost to Labour for a generation," Kane wrote in an article in Tribune today.
Voters we need to win back will rightly ask why he, as the architect of Labour’s second referendum position on Brexit, is pushing such a hard line against another independence referendum up here. Scottish voters are not daft
Kane underlined that Starmer needed to win back SNP voters in order to get into Number 10, and could not do so if it took a hardline Unionist position.
"Winning [SNP voters] back and rebuilding a broad electoral coalition in Scotland is central to Labour’s future success.
“Potential SNP-to-Labour switchers are three times more in number than Tory-to-Labour switchers. Basic maths tells us SNP switchers are what is needed to help us win and not just compete for second place," he wrote.
"Starmer’s apparent strategy is to go with the recent SEC [Scottish Executive Committee] decision to take a much harder line on a second independence referendum.
“This implies an appeal to Tory voters, even though their views are likely to be polar opposite to the party on most social and economic issues. This is a pick and mix approach to democracy that exposes Starmer.
READ MORE: Mhairi Black slams Keir Starmer over stance on Scottish independence
"Voters we need to win back will rightly ask why he, as the architect of Labour’s second referendum position on Brexit, is pushing such a hard line against another independence referendum up here. Scottish voters are not daft."
Kane defended the approach taken by Labour towards indyref2 ahead of the General Election in December arguing that it did not favour a second independence vote – but adopting a policy saying that it wouldn't block a second independence referendum if that is what Scottish voters wanted.
He wrote: "Let’s put to bed the myth that the Labour leadership in the last election took a ‘pro-referendum’ position. It didn’t. It took a democratic position that said clearly that Labour didn’t support a referendum, but that the party shouldn’t block one if it was the will of the Scottish people.
"This was a principled position that understood Labour needs to build a coalition of voters in Scotland."
Last week Starmer backed a hardline rejection of a second independence referendum in line with Leonard's position outlined earlier this month.
In a briefing to Scottish journalists the Labour leader said “breaking up” the UK just as the country faced up to mass unemployment was the “wrong thing to do”.
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