Liz Lloyd says Humza Yousaf has the opportunity to 'bring the SNP back to the frontline'; laying out your agenda. Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Nicola Sturgeon's former chief of staff has said the Scottish National Party will face its biggest challenge in 20 years in 2024 as it tries to “unite”.
Liz Lloyd said the party “still has a way to go” to convince people it has recovered from Ms Sturgeon's resignation as leader in March last year. The following month, police raided the home she shares with her husband Peter Murrell, the former party chief.
With a general election almost certain to take place this year, Ms Lloyd said the Scottish National Party faced the challenge of getting Labor noticed. by voters as a trustworthy UK government and “an opportunity for change”.
She also admitted there had been “a little disagreement” within the party over Humza Yousaf's leadership, but insisted he had the opportunity to “bring back SNP to the front”, setting out his agenda.
But Joanna Cherry, a senior SNP MP, dismissed Ms Lloyd's comments. Quoting Clement Utley, she tweeted: “I can assure you that there is widespread dissatisfaction with your performance within the party and a period of silence on your part will be welcome.”
Divisions within the Scottish National Party have been exposed again. A senior Scottish Conservative MP has said Scots face a “date with destiny” at the 2024 general election to weaken the Nationalists' grip on power.
Stephen Kerr said the election had the potential to “create a political shockwave that would change the balance of Scottish politics” by ousting Scottish National Party MPs across the country.
In an article in The Telegraph, he argued that this will deny Nationalists are “a pulpit from which they can preach a nationalist liturgy of division, discontent, separatism and disunity.”
While he said that “the defeat of nationalism beckons,” he warned that to “end “This is it forever,” Unionists must also “get serious” about reforming the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Kerr said the next general election had the opportunity to “create a political shockwave that will change the balance of Scottish politics”.
The SME said it had failed to hold Yousaf's government to account because of its “tightly controlled system” and reform was needed so “it can tackle Scotland's real problems”.
He referred to the scandal surrounding Michael Matheson's £11,000 roaming bill, revealed by The Telegraph, accusing Holyrood authorities of “blithely” failing to pass the emergency bill as a “legitimate expense”.
Mr Kerr argued the case showed “how entitled and untouchable many establishment politicians in Scotland consider themselves” and Holyrood “lacks the structures” to hold ministers like Mr Matheson to account.The speeches from Ms Lloyd and Mr Kerr come after a new poll showed the Scottish National Party (SNP) risks losing up to 33 of the 48 seats it won in the 2019 general election in this year's contest. Bookmakers also said Mr Yusuf was likely to be replaced as First Minister this year.
'The SNP needs to change the narrative'
Ms Lloyd told BBC World at One: 'It's probably the most difficult situation.” year the party has faced since perhaps 2004/2005.
“The narrative in Scotland needs to shift from one of Labor winning to one of the SNP fighting back – and being seen as fighting back convincingly.
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“He’s very it's hard to get your own message across. He has the opportunity. There is time before the general election to do this, but it needs to be done very quickly.”
Mr Yousaf narrowly won the SNP leadership contest, taking over from Ms Sturgeon and his first months as party leader and First Minister. were largely related to the fallout from the police investigation into the party's finances.
Ms Sturgeon, Mr Murrell and Colin Beattie, the former treasurer of the Scottish National Party, were also arrested and released without charge pending further investigation. The former First Minister denies any wrongdoing.
Yousaf had nine months to “bring the matter to fruition.”
Although the investigation is still ongoing, Ms Lloyd claims Yousaf has had nine months to “clear the decks of politics”. that are left over from Nicola Sturgeon's time – the problems that have given him difficulties.” She said: “Now before the election he has the opportunity to say, 'This is my agenda, this is what I'm talking about' – and implement it so that people can make their judgment.”
Ms Lloyd added: “I think they need to think about making some changes – perhaps a little reshuffling – things that will bring the SNP back to the forefront in a way that it hasn't been for the last nine months.”
Although Tory support has fallen from 25 percent to around 16 percent since the 2019 election, party strategists are hoping to make gains by targeting a number of marginal seats in the Scottish National Party.
>Mr Kerr, the Conservative candidate for Angus & Perthshire Glens wrote: “So we have our destiny set for 2024. We can break this pattern, but it will require the determination of every voter to vote for a better future for Scotland.”
“Of course we will not change the Scottish Government at a UK general election, but we can and must create a political shock a wave that will change the balance of Scottish politics and end the constitutional obsession that comes at the expense of improving lives and life chances. .
Arguing that Holyrood urgently needed reform, Mr Kerr said the public would be “stunned” if they were to witness the “hours of pointless debate” which he said was “carefully planned and controlled”.
Richard Thomson, SNP MP, said: “After decades and decades of Westminster government failure, neglect of Scotland's interests and declining living standards, people will have the chance to reject a broken Brexit Britain at the next general election by voting SNP.”
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “Any member of the Scottish Parliament can raise any issues relating to the workings of Parliament by discussing the matter with the Presiding Officer, contacting the Parliamentary Standards and Procedures Committee or working to raise issues through their party representatives on the Parliamentary Office.”
Scotland has a destiny in 2024
Stephen Kerr
In 2024 we have the opportunity to end the last decade of wasted effort, energy and debate on an issue that has dogged Scottish politics for far too long; independence.
Only by removing the Scottish National Party from public office can we begin to bring about the change that is so needed in Scottish politics.
When an MP from the Scottish National Party is removed, so too is the pulpit where they can preach the nationalist liturgy of division , discontent, separatism and disunity.
Over the last six months I have spent many hours talking to people on their doorsteps, worrying about broken services, schools, a creaking NHS, anti-social behaviour, a lack of police in their communities and a complete lack of borders. or the consequences when people break the law.
So we have a date with destiny in 2024. We can break this pattern, but it will require the determination of every voter to vote for a better future for Scotland.
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Of course we will not change the Scottish Government at a UK general election, but we can and must create a political shockwave that will rebalance Scottish politics and end the constitutional obsession that has played out at the expense of improving lives and life chances.
< p>Voters will have their say, but Scottish MPs must do their part. We urgently need reform of the Scottish Parliament.
The lesson for 2023 must surely be that there may never again be a scandal as damaging to public confidence in politicians as the Matheson iPad debacle.
Data charges of £11,000 , blithely presented as a legitimate expense, showed us how entitled and untouchable many of Scotland's establishment politicians consider themselves to be.
The Scottish Parliament turns 25 in 2024. He needs to act wisely. maturity and align yourself with your goals. The people of Scotland must ask, when they meet for about 10 hours a week, what are they discussing? And how effective are MPs in checking the performance of the Scottish Executive?
If more people saw what is happening in our Parliament, they would be dumbfounded. Hours of pointless student debate style debate on motions, all carefully crafted and controlled, with a group of MPs completely out of touch with the real priorities of the Scottish people.
Parliament desperately needs free-thinking MPs. People who are able to form their own opinions and articulate them.
There are already several members who are fighting against the tightly controlled system to speak out on issues that they believe concern their constituents. But more is needed.
And we need more MPs who will focus on principles rather than parties. Dissenting opinions, unconventional points of view, or inflammatory analyzes are sacrificed at the altar of consensus.
The fact that many influential people in Parliament are so proud of this fact is wrong.< /p>
Consensus on education disadvantages children and young people by promoting inclusion at the expense of knowledge.
Consensus Health Affairs filled waiting lists and led to a bottleneck in the ambulance service.
Consensus on justice has led communities to turn a blind eye to drug dealers and criminals to avoid having to call out crime.
The politics of consensus has robbed us of a successful Scotland. Parliament lacks the structures to deal with the problem, and the time and skills to debate it properly.
This attracts people who are more interested in cheap sound for social media than failing public services. The amount of time devoted to debating matters outside the purview of the Scottish Parliament is significant and completely pointless for the governance of Scotland.
At the Economics and Fair Work Committee hearing in December, which heard evidence from Petroineos, which announced it would stop refining fuels at Grangemouth, some committee members read out questions prepared for them and then went back to checking their emails.I was a member of the House of Commons Business Select Committee during the Carillion scandal, which involved hours of concerned and prepared MPs dragging executives out of line.
The contrast is deeply troubling. . I urge the public to look at this and decide whether the elected representatives are doing a good job.
Some believe that the nationalists want parliament to fail. If solutions cannot be found in the Scottish Parliament, then independence is surely the answer.
The Lib Dems and Labor believe in a Scottish Parliament, with the Scottish Conservatives becoming converts, many with convert zeal.< /p >
Unionists must take reform of the Scottish Parliament seriously. As we head into the New Year, defeating nationalism beckons and must be Unionists' top priority.
To end this for good, we must reform Parliament to ensure it can deal with the reality of the situation. Scotland's problems.
Stephen Kerr is a Scottish Conservative MP and the party's UK general election candidate for Angus & Perthshire Glens.
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