Kezia Dugdale calls for fresh general election to 'get the Tories out of office'

Kezia Dugdale: Picture credit - David Anderson

Kezia Dugdale has called for a snap general election to "get the Tories out of office".

The Scottish Labour leader said her party would "relish" a fresh opportunity in the autumn to set out its anti-austerity message to voters.

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She is the most senior Labour figure to explicitly call for another election after the Conservatives lost their Commons majority on 8 June.

Speaking at Westminster, Dugdale said: "We've had five electoral contests in Scotland in the last two-and-a-half years - why not have a sixth if it means getting the Tories out of office?

"They clearly have no mandate for a hard Brexit and no mandate for their austerity platform. Labour's articulated how we can end austerity, how we can stop the cuts to benefits, how we can stop the cuts to public services, and if delivering that means another electoral context in October, then I think that's something that everybody in the Scottish Labour Party would relish.

"We are still very much on an election footing and that's a contest we would relish. We will take any opportunity we can to get the Tories out of office because of the damage they're doing to working people, so of course we would welcome another election."

Last week, John McDonnell called for one million people to “get out on the streets” in order to build pressure on Theresa May to call another election.

He said: "We need people doing everything they can to ensure the election comes as early as possible.

"What we need now is the TUC mobilised, every union mobilised, get out on the streets.

"Just think if the TUC put out that call - that we want a million on the streets of London in two weeks’ time."