Val McDermid rips into Unionist party 'branch offices'

SCOTTISH author Val McDermid has torn into the “branch offices” of  Unionist parties who do not have the “freedom to put Scotland’s interests first”.

In a column for The Guardian, the independence-supporting crime writer has insisted Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross are “under the thumb of their Westminster bosses” who will “forget all about Scotland” if they get into power.

She revealed she would be supporting the SNP next week but also set out why she believes that John Swinney’s party losing seats as predicted at this election “might be no bad thing,” suggesting that a few years with a smaller contingent of MPs could give the “next generation of leaders time to learn their trade”.

She wrote: “I’m not delivering a party political broadcast and I’m not suggesting for a nanosecond that the SNP is without its faults. That, frankly, would be absurd.

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“But they do have the freedom to put Scotland’s interests first.

“Labour, Tory, LibDems? Not so much. They’re branch offices. They do what they’re told.

“Whatever Anas Sarwar or Douglas Ross claims, they remain under the thumb of their Westminster bosses.

“That’s not gone so well for Scotland in recent years. As soon as they return to power, they’ll forget all about Scotland again.”

Earlier this month, Scottish Labour were accused of a “total disregard” for Scotland after releasing a manifesto almost identical to the UK version.

Both entitled “Change” and posted to the UK Labour website, the Scottish Labour manifesto features a foreword from Sarwar.

However, the text that follows is taken practically verbatim from the UK Labour one.

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Page 10 of Sarwar's Scottish Labour manifesto as well page 3 of Keir Starmer's UK Labour one both have the title "My Plan For Change".

Ross also launched his party's manifesto alongside Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week in Edinburgh.

McDermid used the opportunity in her piece to criticise Labour “welcoming bolting Tories into the party” while they try to please voters on the right.

She said: “Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is cleaving to policies that will align it with English voters who absconded to the right in the last election – tough on immigration, talking about increasing privatisation of the NHS, welcoming bolting Tories into the party.

“We even hear Labour figures admit their admiration for Margaret Thatcher.

“None of this is what the Scottish people seem to want.”