Marra claims Scottish government 'hoarding power' in conference speech

The new leader of Scottish Labour has claimed the Scottish government has "hoarded money and control" at Holyrood and called for the decentralisation of powers to local regions.

Michael Marra called on the Scottish government to put "power and money" in the hands of "councils, colleges and industries" across the country to grow local economies.

In his inaugural speech to the UK Labour conference in Liverpool, Marra urged members not to mistake the SNP's "progressive posturing" for progressive politics.

He said it was his job to remind the people of Scotland what Labour stood for after the party's worst ever Holyrood election result in May.

Marra said: "Had our regions grown at the same pace as Manchester in the last decade, the Scottish economy would be £30bn larger.

"Too much power is centralised in Scotland. The Scottish government has hoarded money and control at the expense of Scotland's communities."

He attacked the SNP's record on education and child poverty, as well as the SNP administrations announcement that it would sack and re-hire 23,000 workers at Glasgow City Council.

Michael Marra announced as new Scottish Labour leader

Who is new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra?

Marra used his conference speech to highlight Scotland's shipbuilding history as an example of failure in the government's skills policy.

He said Scotland has a reliance on foreign workers due to a lack of available, skilled Scottish equivalents.

"Shipbuilding – Scotland is famous for it," he said.

"We're world class at it. There should be a sense of national pride that the ships being built in Scotland are providing opportunity and security for Scottish workers.

"So, my message to Bute House is put control and money in the hands of the councils, colleges and industries who know what their local economies need better than any bureaucrat in Edinburgh."

Marra was speaking just a week after defeating Joe Fagan in a leadership election.

He replaced Anas Sarwar, who stood down to take up a a role in the House of Lords as part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government.

Marra said Burnham was the first person to phone him after his victory was announced.

He joked they may not agree on everything, including "dancing to The Smiths," but different "approaches and ideas" were welcome.

Scottish Labour's return of 17 MSPs saw them tied with Reform UK as the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament.

He admitted the results of the May election "hurt" and the party had some "difficult truths to face up to".

Marra said he and Burnham did agree on the need for an "antidote" to a political "poison of hate, anger and fear".

He said the next UK election would be a straight fight between Labour and Reform.

Marra, who first joined Labour as a teenager , also spoke about his upbringing in Dundee in a family of ardent trade unionists.

He said he made his first leaflet run ahead of the 1987 general election at the age of eight, supporting Ernie Ross MP in Dundee West.

Marra said his grandmother Margaret, one of seven children, slept in a single room and was the only member of her family lucky enough to go to college while the others worked six days a week at the city's jute mills.

He said he was "forever grateful" for their sacrifice as the opportunity "changed her life" and her education changed Marra's, two generations later.

He said "not enough lives" in Scotland were being changed by education, and pledged to put Scottish education back among the world's best.

"It's no longer the SNP's priority, if it ever was," he said.

"I will make Scottish education the best in the world again. Not just steady, not just average, the best in the world again."