Kaukab Stewart MSP has called out Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s snub of Scotland’s cities from the UK government’s Council of Nations and Regions, calling it a “dereliction of his duty to the people of Glasgow Kelvin.”
The Council will meet for the first time today in Edinburgh, with the Prime Minister and First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in attendance. While local leaders from across England will join them, including representatives for Peterborough and Cambridge, their Scottish counterparts have been excluded.
SNP MSPs for Glasgow and Leader of Glasgow City Council wrote to the Prime Minister ahead of the meeting, calling on him to u-turn on this and invite the leaders of Glasgow City Council and other local authorities. Glasgow’s Labour MPs were invited to co-sign the letter – but they refused to do so.
Commenting, SNP MSP Kaukab Stewart said:
“The Prime Minister’s blatant snub of Scotland’s cities – while in Scotland’s capital – is a blatant betrayal of his promise to have Scotland at the heart of his new Westminster government.
“If Glasgow Labour MP’s can’t stand up for Glasgow then they are failing in their most basic duty, putting their Westminster bosses before those they represent.
“It is astounding that, in less than 100 days, these promises have crumbled – much like Sir Keir Starmer’s principles since he got the keys to Downing Street. Those who placed their trust in Labour will hear the Prime Minister’s message loud and clear: Scottish communities like Glasgow Kelvin will never come first under Westminster control.
“Whether it’s the Winter Fuel Payment cut, doubling down on austerity or this latest insult to Scotland’s cities, the only thing Labour is committed to is Westminster rule. They simply can’t be trusted to stand up for Scotland.”