SCOTTISH Labour have provoked confusion following the launch of their Glasgow manifesto for the 2022 local elections, which has been illustrated with a photograph of Edinburgh.
Launched on Thursday by Glasgow Labour leader Malcolm Cunning at Mount Vernon Community Hall, where he was joined by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, the manifesto commits to publicly-controlled buses, 250 new cleaning workers, and support for the building of 6500 affordable homes.
The manifesto also pledges to reintroduce the affordable warmth payment for the over-80s, which was scrapped by this year’s budget, and to use a 10-year investment plan to improve the city’s parks and open spaces.
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Both Sarwar and Cunning ruled out any coalitions with the SNP or the Tories, with the latter commenting: “There is only one deal that this party is interested in and that is a fair deal for Glasgow.”
Shortly thereafter however, SNP MP and defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald drew attention to a photograph illustrating the manifesto, which appeared to feature Edinburgh’s distinctive sandstone tenements.
“Only the Labour Party could release a manifesto for Glasgow filled with pictures of flats in Edinburgh … ” McDonald tweeted, placing the relevant page of the manifesto beside a screenshot from a Google Lens search, identifying the neighbourhood portrayed as being in the Scottish capital.
Only the Labour Party could release a manifesto for Glasgow filled with pictures of flats in Edinburgh… pic.twitter.com/DQDlBfPkF5
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) April 14, 2022
Others on social media quickly identified the street portrayed as Ashley Terrace in the residential area of Polwarth.
At the time of writing, the Scottish Labour website features the party’s manifestos for the Highlands & Islands and for the South of Scotland, but not for Glasgow. However, the Glasgow manifesto was posted by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney on the digital publishing platform Issuu, and can be read online.
“I’m all for the civic beautification of Glasgow,” joked one Twitter user in response to the apparent error, “but turning it into Morningside is a bit extreme”.
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