Public 'don't like honesty'? Labour needs to convince voters current pain will mean future gain
As a politician, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray is about as straight-talking as you could hope to find. Previously Scotland’s only Labour MP, he also knows how to dig in when times are tough.
That starts with facing up to reality. Asked about a recent polling which suggests the SNP are on course to win the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, Murray candidly admitted “we’ve had to make some pretty difficult decisions that are unpopular”.
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Hide AdOf course, he stressed Labour had been “forced” into making those tough decisions – perhaps thinking of the means-testing of pensioners’ winter fuel payments and the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions – by the mess left behind by the Conservatives.
“It’s really difficult to turn around the low-growth, high-tax, high-inflation economy in a few months,” he said. “We were honest with the public back in July that it would be tough. Maybe the public don’t like honesty after all...” That last line may not go down well with some but, as we said, Murray’s a straight-talker.


Clock ticking for Sarwar
While recent polls suggest Labour has been losing the battle for public opinion, a lot will change between now and the next general election, so Keir Starmer need not be overly concerned.
However, Anas Sarwar has just over a year to convince voters in Scotland that, after nearly two decades of the SNP, it’s time for Labour. His comment that Scottish voters “are thinking about politics in the frame of the UK” reflects an acknowledgement of his Westminster colleague’s struggles.
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Hide AdThe current beneficiaries appear to be the SNP and Nigel Farage’s Reform. However, in a democracy, the most important judgment voters must make is not whether times are tough but whether the ruling party is making them better or worse.
Most are familiar with the “no pain, no gain” mantra beloved of gym enthusiasts, and many will accept that, sometimes, a degree of pain is necessary – but only if they can see there will be significant gains as a result.
Labour needs to keep being honest with us and get better at explaining their plans. However, most importantly, they also need to start delivering concrete signs of progress – and soon.
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