Brown: Wendy can leave Salmond powerless

Mar 30 2008

GORDON BROWN has insisted Labour can block SNP policies being passed by Holyrood.

He believes Scots are more interested in social justice than independence.

The PM said Labour will halt SNP separatism plans and could also pass its own bills, such as guaranteed apprenticeships for school-leavers.

Labour lost the Scottish Parliament election last year to the Nationalists by a single seat.

Brown believes the wafer-thin majority means Labour can - with the help of the other parties - throw out SNP legislation and pass its own.

He claimed the commission on greater powers for the Scottish Parliament set up by Labour, the Scottish Tories and Lib-Dems had more support than SNP plans to break up Britain.

Brown told the Sunday Mail in Aviemore: "You have to understand the SNP has a minority vote in the Scottish Parliament. The other parties have the majority.

"There will be a lot of debates in the Scottish Parliament that will be won by Wendy Alexander's arguments."

But he insisted Labour are ready to learn from their first Holyrood election defeat.

He said: "I think people are ready to see the changes and to move forward on the basis of a revived Labour Party in Scotland.

"That is people learning the lessons of last year but also people knowing that our values of social justice contradict the values of separatism.

"Our instincts and our ideals are different from the views of the Nationalists. We put social justice first and that is the mood of the Scottish people."

For months after last year's Holyrood election, Labour was accused of being in denial that it had lost power in Scotland for the first time in 50 years.

But the PM said: "People are ready to move forward again with new ideas, new initiatives and change and a programme of modernisation of the party."

Polls show support for SNP leader Alex Salmond is way ahead of Wendy Alexander. But Brown said: "I think Wendy Alexander is doing a great job.

"She has started to show we are going to think ahead with our policies, we are going to learn the lessons and listen to the people.

"I agree with her that when you suffer setbacks, you have to listen and make the changes.

"I think she has started really well and that she can become the next First Minister."