Former Dundee Lord Provost John Letford, once a local Labour stalwart, has reversed his view on Scottish independence after being left “bitterly disappointed” by Brexit.
In a scathing broadside at Tory and Labour party leaders, the veteran politician said he was angry at the use of “gutter politics” in the run-up to the EU referendum.
Mr Letford MBE, who resigned from the Labour party to become an independent councillor in 2009, said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was now the only politician he could trust and he would support her party’s fight for independence.
“I am, like all those who voted to remain in the European Union, bitterly disappointed that a majority of the electorate voted to leave,” he said in a statement to The Courier.
“While I have no problem with the democratic wishes of the British people, I am upset, disgusted and very angry with the conduct of those politicians who purportedly seemed to be representing our best interest but resorted to gutter politics throughout the campaign.”
Mr Letford, who recently published his memoirs, added: “The Prime Minister, who tried his best to justify the benefits of remaining in the EU, must bear responsibility for subjecting us to an ill-conceived referendum that he initiated to appease his euro-sceptics and the threat of UKIP.
“It has to be said, however, that in accepting that politicians did not cover themselves in glory, that criticism cannot be levelled at Nicola Sturgeon, who was by far the one politician who could be trusted to tell the truth.”
The 81-year-old added: “I remember some time ago that Alex Salmond said there was a democratic deficit in the will of the Scottish people and the First Minister has repeated this in the course of the referendum.
“I have to say that this democratic deficit has existed throughout my time in politics and whilst Scotland voted other than Conservative, it only rarely resulted in a Labour government.
“It is not unreasonable to think that Labour will not be fit to govern in the foreseeable future.”
Mr Letford continued: “My frustration over these years and the unacceptable, disgusting behaviour of Westminster Tory politicians in this referendum – and a Labour party who did not get, or seem to want, to get any message across – has led me to believe that the only politician I can trust is our First Minister.
“I will therefore, I am sure, like many other thousands of voters, abandon my position as a ‘no’ voter and support her efforts to keep us in the European Union and eventually realise independence, which throughout my lifetime I could not support.”
Mr Letford ended decades-long friendships and political affiliations with former Labour colleagues when he became lord provost for Dundee’s SNP administration seven years ago.
The move broke a damaging stalemate at the City Chambers that resulted from the SNP taking 14 of the council’s 29 seats in that year’s election and not being able to form an overall majority.
With other parties unable to unite to form an administration, Mr Letford quit Labour and won the SNP’s backing to hold onto the chain of office.
