Sir Keir Starmer’s message was clear – change is needed and only his party can deliver it.
But the UK Labour leader will need to offer Scottish voters something positive to cling onto ahead of polling day if his party’s former red heartland is to help him grab hold of the keys to Downing Street.
His keynote speech at the SEC in Glasgow was delivered to a room with several empty chairs and in direct comparison to the charisma the party’s Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar, has in bucketloads.
Sir Keir’s speech contained no new policies, a slightly tweaked stance on a ceasefire in Gaza, and instead appealed to those lapsed Labour voters in Scotland, many of whom are now supportive of the SNP, to come home.
Labour’s problems with Scottish voters are widespread – some have been UK-wide and were made crystal clear at the 2015 and 2019 general elections under Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.
Read more: Starmer asks SNP voters to make Scotland 'beating heart' of Britain
In Scotland, Labour has for too long, been caught between two sides of a constitutional tussle – standing on the sidelines of the biggest issue in Scottish politics.
But with Scottish independence now doing a stint off the pitch, Labour has the chance to appeal to both sides of the constitutional divide - without the baggage the SNP and the Tories have with voters.
That’s not to say it’s that simple for Scottish voters to back Labour this time around. The party’s Brexit position will have puzzled many north of the Border, a softening to placate Labour’s other red wall, the north of England, where traditional Labour voters favour leaving the EU.
Read more: Analysis: Labour trying to 'keep a lid on it' as conference oozes confidence
Sir Keir’s keynote speech made it clear that Labour’s case for change is based on what is claims are failing of Scotland’s two governments. And with Labour having been nowhere near the keys in 14 years, their hands are pretty clean in the eyes of many voters.
The Labour leader acknowledged that voter apathy will do his party no favours, warning that “however cynical you are about the failures” at Westminster, “politics is still our only path towards a better future”.
But as the election campaign ramps up, Sir Keir and Mr Sarwar will need to offer something tangible and concrete that voters can look to and want to vote for.
Read more: Labour leader Keir Starmer demands 'ceasefire that lasts' in Gaza
We have heard plans on energy that centre around Scotland, but that is a national UK-wide strategy that doesn’t work without Scotland.
What we are really yet to see from Labour and we can expect to in the coming months, is policies and ideas that will stick in the heads of voters who maybe wouldn’t always vote Labour, but will give them a positive reason to do so this time around.
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