3 May 2017
Kezia Dugdale has been told to act on her independence-supporting election candidates, after it emerged another aspiring MP is sympathetic to the break-up of Britain.
Labour’s position on the union has already come under fire this week with candidates in pro-UK seats in the south of Scotland being revealed as separation sympathisers.
Now details have come out about Moray candidate Jo Kirby, who also appears to back independence.
She has shared a number of pro-SNP items on social media, including an article describing the SNP as “the most credible political force in the UK” and a speech by Angus Robertson – who she’ll stand against in Moray – endorsing holding a second independence referendum.
Yesterday, Labour’s candidate for the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire by-election at Holyrood, Sally Prentice, claimed she was the person to stand up to the SNP on a “divisive” referendum re-run.
But just the week before, she said: “SNP voters – the only way you’re going to get to ask the question again is if Jeremy Corbyn is in number 10.”
In addition, it was reported yesterday that Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale candidate Douglas Beattie was “gutted” following the 2014 referendum result.
Now, the Scottish Conservatives have urged Ms Dugdale to either remove the candidates from the upcoming election, or face accusations of not being in control of her own party.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said:
“Kezia Dugdale can’t reasonably say she’s serious about Scotland’s place in the UK while she stands by these independence-supporting candidates.
“She must either sack them, or admit she has next to no control over her own party.
“This goes beyond just a bit of embarrassment for Labour.
“The candidate for the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire by-election is actually lying to voters by claiming to be the one to stand up to the SNP, while on social media she’s telling all her friends the precise opposite.
“These revelations go to show once again that it’s only the Scottish Conservatives who can be trusted on keeping Scotland a key part of the UK.”
Yesterday, two Labour General Election candidates were unmasked as independence supporters:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/05/labour-candidate-to-snp-voters-back-us-and-well-deliver-indyref2/
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/05/revealed-the-labour-general-election-candidate-who-backs-separation/
And today, a third has been revealed as an SNP sympathiser:
- Jo Kirby shared a graphic promoting SNP policy on EU membership (Jo Kirby Facebook, 24 June 2016, link).
- Kirby promoted an article describing the SNP as the ‘most credible political force in the UK’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 26 June 2016, link).
- Kirby shared propaganda from a campaign for independence. The post lauded Scots for ‘basing their nationality on civic rather than ethnic identity’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 30 June 2016, link).
- Jo Kirby shared a speech by Angus Robertson which endorsed holding a second independence referendum. Kirby shared the speech, in which Robertson said: ‘We have no intention whatsoever of seeing Scotland taken out of Europe. That would be totally, totally democratically unacceptable. We are a European country and we will stay a European country. And if it means we have to have an independence referendum to protect Scotland’s place, then so be it’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 28 June 2016, link).
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