Former First Minister Jack McConnell has called on Labour to conduct a "proper" review into the party's catastrophic defeat in the Holyrood elections, warning that without an open debate, things will get worse. The Labour peer also urged the incoming prime minister to scrap the "ridiculous" Scotland Office.
McConnell Criticises Current Review Process
Scottish Labour has launched a review led by its Scottish Executive Committee, but Lord McConnell told Holyrood magazine: "There's no evidence so far that a proper review is going on with what went wrong in the election campaign, and I think unless you have a proper review, things get worse instead of better." He drew parallels to the 2007 election, where the party lost by only half a percent but failed to hold an open debate, leading to further decline.
Call for In-Depth Analysis
McConnell said the party needs an in-depth analysis of "what went wrong" following its worst-ever Holyrood result. He argued that without a proper review, the party risks repeating past mistakes. "I've always thought that the 2011 election result in Scotland was partly a direct result of not having an open debate in the party between 2007 and 2011," he added.
Support for Anas Sarwar
Lord McConnell appeared to back current Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar staying on, saying: "If he feels that he still has a contribution to make, and that he can be part of that recovery, supporting those MPs and the work that they are doing, then I think people would respect that choice." He also suggested that Andy Burnham, the UK Labour leader, should call for a detailed review and hear its results.
Scrap the Scotland Office
McConnell also told Holyrood magazine that the Scotland Office should be scrapped, calling it "ridiculous" that it still exists. He proposed merging the territorial offices into a single Department of the Nations and Regions, led by a powerful cabinet member with direct access to the prime minister.
