Keir Starmer urged to sack Aberdeen South Labour candidate after 'we helped Tories in 2019' comment

The SNP has called on Keir Starmer to sack the Labour candidate for Aberdeen South after a video emerged of him speaking to a voter.

Tauqeer Malik revealed on a doorbell camera when speaking to a constituent in Aberdeen that the Labour Party "didn't bother at all" in 2019 in a bid to let the Tories win against the SNP.

In the footage, he can also be heard telling the voter: "I was hoping that [the Tory candidate] could win it."

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The video has seen a backlash from SNP figures, including Campaign Director Stewart Hosie who said Labour now have 'serious questions to answer.'

Candidates standing in the election for Aberdeen South also include Jeff Goodhall of the Scottish Lib Dems, Guy Ingerson for the Scottish Greens, Reform UK's Michael Pearce, Graeme Craib of the Scottish Family Party, and Independent candidate Sophie Molly.

Mr Hosie said: "This is an absolute disgrace and the Labour Party leadership now have some serious questions to answer.

"This is concrete evidence of a Labour Party candidate openly expressing his preference for the Tories to win in 2019 - a Labour Party candidate who was secretly campaigning to bring about a Boris Johnson Brexit government.

"This video footage is proof of Labour in Aberdeen in collusion with the Conservatives, doing literally anything to attack the SNP, no matter the consequences for Scotland.

"If Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar have any ounce of credibility or integrity, they need to sack him immediately.

"The Labour Party cannot credibly say they want to get rid of the Tories if their own candidates are secretly backing Conservative candidates.

"In the last few days, the Labour Party sacked a candidate in England for betting on himself to lose - will Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar now sack this Scottish Labour candidate for backing Boris Johnson and the Tories to win?

"Across Scotland, the SNP are fighting to remove the Tories from office, but in Aberdeen South and across the North-East, the Labour Party are at best absent and at worst complicit in supporting Conservative campaigns.

"As the main challenger to the Tories in this election, we have the opportunity to get rid of every Tory MP in Scotland and put Scotland’s interests first.

"On July 4, vote SNP to build a future made in Scotland – for Scotland."

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: "After 14 years of Tory chaos and 17 years of the SNP putting party before country - only Labour is campaigning to deliver the change Scotland needs."