KEIR Starmer has admitted Nicola Sturgeon’s success was “grounded” in turning people against Labour at a party conference in Edinburgh.
The Labour leader applauded the First Minister’s eight years in office and said turning former Labour voters into Scottish independence backers shaped her political success.
He also conceded people in Scotland who had lost faith in Westminster and support the SNP “have a point”.
He told the Scottish Labour conference: “To lead Scotland for almost a decade is a political achievement that must be acknowledged.
“And one thing we must always be clear about – wherever you stand on the constitutional question – we must respect those beliefs as a sincere desire to make the future better for Scotland.
“The First Minister was sincere about that and it shaped her service to this nation.
“And yes, it shaped her political success.
“A success grounded – let’s be brutally honest – in persuading people who used to vote Labour to support her cause.”
Sturgeon – who announced her resignation last week - is set to stay in post until a successor is appointed, with Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan having confirmed their bids to replace her.
Given Sturgeon’s success in hauling people away from Labour, Starmer told delegates the party would have to “go out there and earn” the confidence of the Scottish people.
He insisted any perceived “weakening of faith” in the SNP cause following Sturgeon’s departure would not “automatically benefit” Labour.
“Mark my words, we won’t change any hearts or minds by sitting back and watching a battle for power within the SNP,” he said.
“Or by assuming that any weakening of faith in their case automatically benefits us.
“We have to go out there and earn it. Prove we understand the real concerns of the Scottish people.
“That we’ve listened to the reasons those voters lost faith in Labour and Britain and that we now offer the solutions that Scotland needs.
“It’s not about change at the top of other parties, it’s about the changes we’ve made to our own and the change we can deliver for the Scottish people.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told the BBC on Sunday that the SNP “were not going anywhere” despite many Unionists thinking the party would just “go away” after Sturgeon’s resignation.
He said: “Many Unionists think the SNP are going to go away now.
“I’ve got a message for them: We’re not. We want Scotland to be a healthier, fairer and more equal place. We’re just getting started.”
Starmer added he felt Scots had “stopped believing” they can achieve things because of the way the UK has been run by the Tories.
He admitted he felt those who had lost faith in Westminster “have a point” and insisted he could bring about the change Scots desire.
Starmer said: “I want to be prime minister for the UK, not just prime minister of the UK.
“It’s why I’ve always said any path to a Labour victory must run through Scotland.
“Those Scots who lost faith in Britain, they have a point about Westminster.
“Britain has an economy that hoards potential and a politics which hoards power and these two problems feed off each other.
“No similar country puts so much decision-making in the hands of so few people.
“And that leads to more inequality across our country than anywhere else in Europe – it’s no coincidence.
“Only Labour can unlock the pride and purpose of all our communities.Bring us together, raise our sights, nurture a real sense of collective mission and drive us forward to the fairer, greener, more dynamic country I know we can become.
“Britain needs a Labour government for any of this to happen – we all know that.
“My message to the people across Scotland who want to see that kind of change is: trust in us.”
