After some photos on social media showed the former Scottish Green leader and MSP, Robin Harper, stuffing envelopes for Labour candidate Ian Murray, the veteran politician has announced that he has joined the Scottish Labour Party.
Harper, who was MSP for the Lothian region from 1999 until 2011, said that voting for Scottish Labour in this election is the only way to get rid of the Tories.
In a letter to voters in Edinburgh he also criticises the SNP and his former party for failing on the environment.
In a letter to voters in Edinburgh Robin Harper writes:
“I desperately want to see the back of this Conservative government, who have crashed our economy, degraded our political life and failed to tackle climate change.
“The SNP, and until recently their Green coalition partners, have also failed to take action on the environment.
“John Swinney has failed to rule out supporting new oil and gas licences and the SNP have rejected Labour’s calls for a windfall tax on record oil and gas profits.
“Labour is the only party with a plan for combatting climate change and harnessing the potential of the green industrial revolution. Our plans for GB Energy, a publicly-owned energy company, will deliver clean energy by 2030 and, with our Warm Homes Plan to insulate thousands of homes, will create 69,000 jobs in Scotland alone.
“Investment in renewable energy would be paid for by a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants making record profits during a cost-of-living crisis, something that the SNP oppose.
“This election provides us with a now-or-never opportunity to remove the Tories from power and end the chaos, failure and inaction that has marked their fourteen years in government.
“Only Labour is able to do this across the UK and only Labour has a plan to halt environmental destruction.”
Shadow Scotland Secretary and Labour candidate for Edinburgh South Ian Murray said: “Robin is one of the most respected parliamentarians of the devolution era.
“His decision to join the Scottish Labour Party demonstrates that we are the only party with a clear plan to deliver on Scotland’s green potential – creating thousands of clean energy jobs and cutting energy bills for good, with GB Energy paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
“At this election, only a vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to remove the Tories from power, and I’m delighted that Robin is helping our campaign to make sure we get the Tories out and deliver the change Scotland needs.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
