CAMERON TAUNTS PREMIER OVER WENDY’S U-TURN
Brown told he’s losing control in Scotland
Published:
Gordon Brown was last night accused of losing control of Labour in Scotland as the party’s defiant Scottish leader Wendy Alexander forged ahead with her bid to force the SNP into an early referendum on independence.
The Tories and the SNP say it is clear the prime minister, who is standing by his view that no one is calling for one at Westminster, is losing his grip and the confidence of his MPs at Westminster who are said to be “bewildered” by the turn of events.
Conservative leader David Cameron said last night that even though Mr Brown was playing “linguistic gymnastics” he could no longer deny he was on a collision course with the Paisley MSP, who yesterday challenged First Minister Alex Salmond to bring the referendum timetable forward.
SNP backbencher Alex Neil described Ms Alexander’s amazing U-turn on the issue as a “massive step forward” for Scotland which deepened her split with Mr Brown.
He added: “Wendy Alexander says she is not the problem but Gordon Brown may beg to differ on that.”
A rumour that Mr Brown had in fact lent his support to Ms Alexander but had now “bottled it” was circulating Holyrood yesterday.
Speaking during first minister’s questions in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Alexander said: “The first minister has been a nationalist all his life and I am giving him the opportunity to resolve this issue so why won’t he take it?
“Why does he not seize the opportunity the Labour group at Holyrood is giving him to resolve the issue and let the people of Scotland choose?
“I believe the uncertainty is damaging the country. I have offered Labour support for an early referendum but the first minister has spurned that offer. So, again I ask, why are we waiting?
“I am not the problem. Labour is not the problem, parliamentary time is not the problem, Alex Salmond is the problem.”
Mr Salmond, MSP for Gordon, rejected Ms Alexander’s assertions that she has the full support of Mr Brown.
Refusing her call for the referendum to be brought forward from 2010, he insisted the SNP will stick to its election manifesto pledge.
Mr Brown’s spokesman said last night: “The position of the UK Government was set out by the prime minister in prime minister’s questions.”
Ms Alexander’s brother, Douglas, the International Development Secretary, was yesterday heckled by a Tory MP after arriving late for a Westminster meeting.
The MP shouted: “Could it be he has been detained advising his sister on the mess she has got the government into?”
In a strongly-worded letter to the prime minister, referring to Ms Alexander’s statements at Holyrood yesterday, Mr Cameron wrote: “How on earth does this match up with your repeated claims that no one is calling for a referendum now?
“To claim there is no inconsistency between your position and that of Wendy Alexander because ‘there is nobody seeking legislation at Westminster to have a referendum’ is exactly the sort of linguistic gymnastics that is making people confused and even angry with your style of leadership.
“They desperately want a prime minister who can give straight answers to straight questions.”
Mr Cameron told Mr Brown that he has either been completely unclear, potentially misleading in answers to his questions or “you have lost control of your party”.
Scots Tory leader Annabel Goldie said the two Labour leaders were doing their “damnedest to warm up the corpse of independence”.
farcical
She lamented: “Who would have thought that a Labour prime minister and a Scottish Labour leader would be the SNP’s greatest ally in breaking up Britain?”
Scots Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen claimed Labour had now become a “farcical floorshow” which had given the SNP what they had wanted for 30 years on a silver plate.
One furious Labour MP described Ms Alexander as a “car crash” and said it was the worst episode of her short leadership.
Scotland Office Minister David Cairns was said to be going around with his head in his hands complaining he knew nothing about what was going on.
The Tories, fresh from success at the ballot box last week, won the support of almost half of voters (49%) in the YouGov poll.
But there was some good news for the PM in the poll: it said his party would be even less popular led by those favoured to succeed him – or even Tony Blair.
