New Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has pledged to work with John Swinney to improve the lives of Scots over the next five years, but warned he won't offer the First Minister a "blank cheque".
Marra marked his first week in the job by promising to engage with the SNP Government - which lacks a majority at Holyrood - on issues like reducing child poverty, boosting attainment in schools and tackling the country's drug deaths crisis.
Engagement with SNP Government
In an interview with the Record before the start of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Marra said he would also be lobbying Andy Burnham's Government to make sure Scotland gets "the best deal" it can.
The North East MSP said he still supported a reduction in NHS health boards across Scotland - but insisted there should be three, instead of the two proposed by the SNP.
Drug Deaths Crisis
Marra strongly condemned the Scottish Government last week after it was revealed deaths from drugs across the country had risen 11 per cent year-on-year.
But he also struck a conciliatory note and told Holyrood offered to work with the SNP Government if Swinney was "prepared to change course" on the response to the on-going public health emergency.
Asked how long this spirit of cooperation with the SNP leader could last, Marra told the Record: "As long as he's doing something useful. We had a really good conversation on Saturday, and I told him that if he wants to make changes that will help working people, then he will find a willing ear in me."
"It's not a blank cheque, far from it. I need to make sure that over these next five years we can do our best to deliver for Scotland."
"There's a few ways we can do that. Here, in Holyrood, but also making sure I get the best deal for Scotland from the UK Government."
Cooperation and Red Lines
Jack McConnell, the former first minister and Scottish Labour leader, last week called for an end to "constant opposition negativity" from the party and said it had to position itself as a "positive alternative".
Asked if he thought Labour had missed opportunities in the past to work with the SNP Government, Marra continued: "It takes two to tango. And I hope the First Minister is good to his word on wanting to act in this way. Because that's not the way I've found the SNP previously. There's been criticism of Labour, particularly around Budget deals, but I've been in those rooms and there has to be willingness from the Government's room."
He added: "On the drugs issue, it is too urgent. There are people who I grew up with, guys I went to school with, who I stood on the terracing with at Tannadice, who lost their lives. And I wouldn't be doing a service to my community, or to their memory, if I didn't work to find common ground."
Marra said he would also engage on Swinney's proposal to reform the public sector but warned a red line for his party would be any talk of compulsory redundancies.
"As a trade unionist, going into these conversations, I want to protect jobs and wages in Scotland," he added. "And I'll fight to make sure that happens. If the Government feels it has not managed to reform services, and they are up against the wall as their Budget is running out, it's up to them to come to the table and tell us."
"At the moment, we've got to protect jobs as folk are struggling."
NHS Health Boards and Conference
Marra said there was a "strong case" for reducing the number of NHS health boards across Scotland due to the "culture" that had been fostered by bosses.
He added: "Too often, they defend their institutions rather than serve their patients. And you can see that with the scandal at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, and with the Eljamel scandal in Dundee. We think there should be three health boards, instead of two, particularly because of the challenges in the north of the country. They would match on to the cancer boards and strategy."
"It's about recognising the particular challenges the north and Aberdeen have."
Marra said "there was a direction of travel" with health board reform but said the recent SNP proposals on local government were "chaotic at best".
"Someone described it to me as a dog's dinner on the back of a fag packet," he added. "It's a mess."
Marra will address the Labour conference on Sunday afternoon as well as meeting with the Prime Minister.
"I'm looking forward to building up what I hope will be a good relationship," he said. "Andy and I have, I think, a lot in common in terms of background and the places we have come from. So I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time with him and getting to know each other."
