- author, Katie Scott
- role, BBC Scotland reporter
Sir Keir Starmer has promised to make Scotland “central to his mission” of a Labour government.
The Labour leader outlined his vision at the Scottish election campaign launch event in Glasgow ahead of the general election on 4 July.
Sir Keir said Scotland needed a “leading voice” at a time of “turmoil and division”.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak criticised the SNP's record in government during his first campaign visit on Thursday.
But Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the election came at a good time for the party and allowed it to set out a “vision for real change”.
Sir Keir was attending an event in the Gorbals area of the city on Friday alongside Scottish First Minister Anas Sarwar.
The Labour leader promised that setting up a new national electricity company north of the border called Great British Energy would stabilise the country's economy, protect workers and create “tens of thousands of jobs”.
“This election will be a transformative election, but there will be no change without Scotland,” he said.
“Scotland is at the heart of my mission to change the UK for the better.
“There is no Labour party without Scotland”
Speaking at the launch, Sir Keir criticised the SNP and its call to “send a message” to Westminster.
“We've been going around in circles without achieving anything substantial. 17 years of the SNP, 14 years in Westminster, chaos and division breeding chaos and division,” he said.
Sir Keir told the audience that the Labour party was back to serving working people.
He added: “We are a changed party and we now have a chance to oust the Conservatives – but we must seize the chance by voting Labour.”
“The SNP is not going to change and the Conservative Party is not going to change.
“Only the Labour Party can stop the chaos and turn a new page.”
Mr Sarwar told the audience alongside the UK Prime Minister that the country was “desperate for” a general election and that Scotland was “desperate for change”.
He said Scotland could “take the lead” in “defeating” the Conservative government.
The Glasgow MP added: “A vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to get the Conservatives out of the way, a vote to maximise Scotland's influence and a vote to deliver the change Scotland needs.”
Mr Sarwar also addressed people who had never voted Labour before, saying he and Sir Keir had been working “day and night” to ensure the party was ready to serve again.
“Independence vote divisive”
The Scottish Green Party is due to formally launch its election campaign later on Friday.
The party says it will field at least 31 candidates across the country, its highest number ever.
Earlier this week, party co-leader Lorna Slater told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: “The Scottish Greens' presence at every campaign and media event helps bring the climate and nature emergency to the spotlight, because without us they are prone to being completely forgotten.”
She also dismissed concerns that the number of Green candidates could split the independence vote, saying “it doesn't matter either way” because the independence movement is “bigger than any one party”.
Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes told the Today programme the election had been announced at a “really good and unifying time” for the SNP.
This comes after First Minister John Swinney was elected unopposed as the party's new leader last month.
She said: “I think this campaign gives us an opportunity to set out the vision for real change, not just the Westminster Agreement that the Conservatives and Labour have transformed.”
“As John Swinney said yesterday, Labour governments are usually followed by Conservative governments, and Conservative governments tend to last longer.”
Mr Forbes said rural Scotland was struggling with exports because of Brexit and residents needed SNP MPs who understood their issues and would stand up for them at Westminster.
“My message is that you can expect the SNP to stand up for rural Scotland – we get it and we will always be on your side,” she added.
But during his first campaign visit to Scotland on Thursday, the First Minister insisted that July 4 was the right time to hold an election.
On the issue of school holidays, Rishi Sunak said the “most important issue” was the state of Scottish education under SNP leadership in Scotland.
He said Scotland's children had been “let down” by the party.
Mr Sunak added: “Scottish schools were once the envy of not only the UK but the world.”
“However, under the SNP government, these schools' international rankings have plummeted compared to English schools which have risen in the rankings.”
Mr Sunak also acknowledged that “things are extremely tough for people in Scotland at the moment” but pointed the finger of blame at Scottish income tax rates, as set by the Scottish Government.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross told the BBC that Scottish voters had told him they wanted a government that focused on improving education, the NHS and the economy.
Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said his party wanted to increase the Digital Services Tax on social media giants to improve mental health services and ease the burden on GPs.
He also called for greater transparency in government, including plans to introduce an accountability bill that would improve record-keeping and “end WhatsApp government.”
Cole Hamilton said: “The Lib Dems want to clean up politics, both at Holyrood and at Westminster.”
The Edinburgh West MSP also promised to improve education services and tackle pollution across the country.
He praised the party's victories in recent local elections in Scotland and England, adding: “We are back, we are back working and people are flocking to us in droves.”
