Conference, I have 4 glorious words to say - Rutherglen and
Hamilton West.
An utterly seismic change in Scottish and British politics.
3 more words, Dame – not just a Dame but a
genius – and a fun one at that.
Together we’ve delivered our newest Scottish Labour MP - - with a 20.4% swing from
the SNP to Labour.
What it means is there is no SNP MP who can rest easy – a
coalition of voters voted for change last Thursday.
It’s no wonder the SNP is in total disarray.
This time last year the SNP leadership was and Iain Blackford.
Remember them?
Now it’s Yousaf and Flynn.
That’s the biggest downgrade since Sturgeon moved out of Bute
House and into her campervan.
But this conference isn't about them but about what we can offer
the country.
I want to focus on the Scotland Office.
Because after 13 years of incompetent Tory government, it’s a
shell of what it can and should be.
It involves itself in Scottish public life only when it’s after a
political fight, or the Secretary of State is defending .
Conference, if we win the trust of the voters next year, Anas,
Keir and I have a different plan.
I believe there should be three broad principles:
The first is how we harness Scotland’s role in the world.
“Brand Scotland” is such an easy thing to sell.
From Harris tweed in the Western Isles through to cutting edge
bioscience in my own constituency, the potential of Scotland is
awe-inspiring.
In this job I’ve seen yet more evidence of something every Scot
understands when they travel abroad – the soft power of brand
Scotland.
Yet while I’ve been blown away with our nation’s potential, I’ve
also seen where that potential is stifled by both of Scotland’s
governments.
If Labour win, and I will have a relentless
focus on promoting Scotland on the world stage.
David understands the power of Brand Scotland and will be a
fantastic foreign secretary for Scotland.
Ambassadors and trade envoys will be extolling Scottish products
using the full might of the UKs diplomatic network.
That means jobs and investment in communities all over Scotland.
In essence, a Labour Scotland Office will be Scotland’s window to
the world.
And Labour’s Scotland Office should be Scotland’s voice at
Westminster too.
This is the change that Scotland needs – a UK Labour government
relentlessly focused on delivering our transformative agenda.
The set-up of GB Energy, headquartered in Scotland, will be an
early priority of a Labour government, with our plans supporting
50,000 highly skilled clean power jobs.
Giving Scotland it’s future back.
And Labour will build on the vision for constitutional change set
out in Gordon Brown’s Commission on the future of the UK.
We will rewire the United Kingdom so that we can deliver the
highest sustained economic growth in the G7 for every part of our
country.
As Secretary of State, I will lead a Scotland Office functioning
as the delivery unit for Scotland.
I don’t agree with the SNP on many things, they don’t agree with
me.
They don't often agree with themselves these days.
But for the sake of the Scottish people, while the SNP cling to
power, we should be putting political differences aside to
deliver for Scotland.
The Scotland office should be the Scottish people’s department.
It should be listening to Scots - ensuring the Labour Government
can deliver the solutions for Scotland, in Scotland.
Because make no mistake.
The difference Labour can make in government is enormous.
That is the prize that is open to us.
When voters go to the polls at the next General election they
will have a ballot paper with a clear choice on it.
A Scottish Labour MP delivering a progressive agenda.
An agenda where the UK Labour government grows our economy,
promotes our nation around the world and delivers fairness at its
heart.
Or an SNP MP languishing on the opposition benches while the
Tories crash the economy and make working people pay for it.
There is still a huge mountain to climb to deliver change.
When Keir took over as leader, he said the path to Downing Street
runs through Scotland.
When Anas took over many said the Scottish Labour Party couldn’t
recover.
Many doubted them then.
Nobody doubts them now.
What happened in Rutherglen means nowhere is off limits.
Conference, we have shown now that we can defeat the cynical
politics of nationalism.
And we have shown that I was never going to be lonely forever.
My political hero, , famously said, “all we ask is
the opportunity to serve”.
With Anas, Keir and the entire team - together, we can serve to
deliver the change that Scotland needs.
