Lindsay Razaq
Kezia Dugdale has said she believes Jeremy Corbyn can unite the Labour party – but insisted he must show willing.
The Scottish Labour leader, who backed Owen Smith in the leadership contest, stressed it was now time for “deeds not words”.
She intervened after Mr Corbyn renewed his mandate with a convincing win over his Welsh competitor.
The veteran left-winger saw him off with 61.8% of more than half a million votes.
His tally of 313,209 was more than 60,000 higher than the 251,417 (59.5%) he secured in 2015.
Mr Smith took 193,229 votes – 38.2% of the 506,438 votes cast out of a total electorate of 654,006.
But while Mr Corbyn won overall, Mr Smith came out on top in Scotland, according to an exit poll.
Asked whether the Islington MP could be the next prime minister, Ms Dugdale replied: “I get up every morning to fight for a Labour government, that’s what I want more than anything.
“In order for there to be a Labour government, we have to have a united Labour party.
“Jeremy Corbyn can lead a united Labour party but he has to want to.”
She added: “His parliamentary colleagues have to want that as well. So there’s a job of work to be done.
“I believe he can unite the party and he needs to demonstrate the will to do that. Equally, I think the parliamentary Labour party have to do that too.”
Ms Dugdale said she did not regret coming out in support of Mr Smith and laughed off the prospect of any manoeuvres against her by pro-Corbyn MSPs.
She added: “I don’t feel vulnerable. Why do I not feel vulnerable? Because when I took on this job I did it under very difficult circumstances.
“Week after week, we are raising the issues that matter to people.
“I’m loving my job and I intend to carry on doing it.”
Asked whether Mr Corbyn needed to show his commitment to uniting the party rather than simply talking about it, she replied: “What we should learn from the suffragettes is it’s deeds not words.”
She also said she believes Mr Corbyn understands Scotland, adding: “I know he respects the autonomy of the Scottish Labour party.”
