Angela Rayner admitted Labour has a challenge to win back votes in Dundee – but warned the SNP cannot take the large independence support in the city for granted.
The deputy leader of the UK Labour Party was in the city to speak to trade unionists when she vowed to take on the challenge of winning seats in the region at the next general election.
She said she understands any desire to get rid of the Conservatives in power at Westminster, but claimed independence is not the answer.
Her comments came as First Minister Humza Yousaf announced delays to a number of key SNP policies, including the deposit return scheme and restrictions on alcohol advertising.
Breaking down the yellow wall?
The SNP has created a stronghold in the city of Dundee after having the highest Yes vote in the country in the 2014 independence referendum.
The party has a majority at council level and all of the city’s MPs and MSPs are nationalist.
Even the new first minister lives in Dundee, despite representing a Glasgow seat.
Ms Rayner believes her party can rise to the challenge of breaking down what has been dubbed the SNP-yellow wall.
The Courier spoke to Ms Rayner at the STUC conference at the Caird Hall, where she warned the SNP to learn from the past mistakes of her own party.
She said: “As a Labour politician I would say learn the lessons of what happened with Labour.
“Take your voters for granted at your peril and you will find very quickly it can all change.
“People thought Labour could never lose in Scotland and we did.
“We understand we have to earn that vote but we can’t think ‘this is an SNP area, we aren’t going to win’.”
Labour has to hope voters chose them instead of the SNP to oppose Conservatives.
An Ipsos Mori poll in March found 49% of people across the UK intend to vote Labour at the next general election.
Out on the streets of Dundee
Ms Rayner spent the night before her appearance at the STUC conference knocking on doors to speak to people in Dundee.
She said on the back of the conversations she had, she doesn’t believe a second independence referendum is people’s top priority.
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP said: “I spoke to members of the public and they were very clear – the cost of living crisis is hurting them.
“They are worried about their rent, mortgages and energy bills, their kid’s education, and opportunities for young people.”
She added people are “terrified” of the issues facing the NHS and say they are worried they cannot afford to be unwell.
And dentistry seems to be a particular problem in Dundee, according to Ms Rayner.
She said: “People are genuinely scared about dentistry.
“I was out for three hours and dentistry kept coming up, whether they can’t get to a dentist or whether their dentist has left the NHS to go private.
“That is having a real impact on primary health and it is a symptom of 13 years of failure, whether that’s the SNP in power here or 13 years of the Conservatives in government in Westminster.”
The SNP was approached for comment.
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