Mike Dailly leaves Labour for ‘broad church’ of SNP

Solicitor advocate Mike Dailly, a former Labour campaigner, has defected to the SNP, citing fears the Conservatives will be in government for a generation.

Mr Dailly, who leads Govan Law Centre, said he joined the SNP as a result of Brexit and the changing political environment of the UK.

Mr Dailly said the SNP was a broader church than Labour, saying: “We have the opportunity to take a different path but you have to be part of it to influence it.”

Writing in The Herald, the solicitor advocate said: “If I come to the conclusion that Scotland has the opportunity to do something different, to take a different path, then I’ve got to be working with those people working for that and that’s the SNP.

“It’s a broad church, much broader than the Labour Party has ever been, it has a wing with a strong socialist ethos, social justice values and others with different views.

“People who know me know I’ve been torn about the best route forward for Scotland for some time, probably a year.

“Some in Labour have not been so kind about my decision, some have been.

“Suggesting I’ve been offered something, that I would stand for the SNP or this was about personal gain, couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The UK political environment is very much in step with Ukip’s, we’ve a regressive approach to scapegoating people and fostering intolerance. I have to ask myself, is this what we want for Scotland?”

However, Labour MSP Neil Findlay accused Mr Dailly of abandoning Labour for nationalism.

Writing on the Labour Hame website, he said: “I am genuinely interested to hear how all of this sits with your long-standing commitment to eradicate poverty and inequality and your desire to reverse growing inequity in health, education and living standards?

“I will leave you with this quote: ‘There is the rhetoric of independence and social justice, and then there is actual SNP policy in government, which is frequently reactionary, punitive, and a total stranger to social justice. Not my vision for Scotland.’ The quote is yours Mike.

“You were right then, but you are wrong now.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman: “We are disappointed that Mike Dailly is no longer a party member but we wish him well for the future.”