ANAS Sarwar has labelled the voting record of Labour’s newest MP “not filled with glory” after Christian Wakeford defected from the Conservatives.
The Scottish Labour leader has spoken out after Mr Wakeford, the MP for Bury South, stunned Westminster by crossing the floor in the House of Commons moments before Thursday’s Prime Minister’s questions.
But some Labour activists have stressed he should not have been welcomed into the party after his past voting record was exposed – with his views seeming not to chine with Labour values.
Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba, who represents the North East at Holyrood, tweeted her displeasure at Mr Wakeford joining the party.
"Consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change."
— Mercedes Villalba MSP (@LabourMercedes) January 19, 2022
"Consistently voted against measures to reduce tax avoidance."
"Consistently voted for a stricter asylum system."
This is not the voting record of someone fit to be a Labour representative.
Writing on Twitter, Ms Villalba claimed Mr Wakeford had “consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change”, “consistently voted against measures to reduce tax avoidance” and “consistently voted for a stricter asylum system”.
She added: “This is not the voting record of someone fit to be a Labour representative.”
But her leader at Holyrood has suggested he is not “principally against” Tory politicians joining Labour.
Speaking during an online meeting hosted by Labour in Communications, Mr Sarwar said there would be “certain tests” that would need to be met before he accepted any Conservative MSPs joining his party.
READ MORE: Defecting Tory MP Christian Wakeford says choice to join Labour took 'months of soul-searching'
According to Labour List, Mr Sarwar added: “One is, if you look at Christian Wakeford’s voting record with the Conservatives, I think anyone’s that is fair minded and decent would recognise that it’s not filled with glory, to put it mildly.
“But, in saying that, he had to adhere to a Conservative whip and he would now be expected to adhere to a Labour whip.
“And the second thing is, one of the fundamental things that people in politics often forget, and I think Labour probably forgets more than others, is if we constantly put people in an ideological box – and say they voted Labour in the past, or they didn’t agree with us in the past – and therefore they cannot be on our side now, the end result of the is Labour perpetually losing elections.”
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar tells Scottish Labour to rule out council coalitions with SNP and Tories
The Scottish Labour leader said he was “pleased Christian Wakeford has now seen how divisive and wrong for our country the Conservative Party is” and “how misguided Boris Johnson is”.
He stressed that it is “on him to prove himself” but warned that Labour “should shut our eyes to defections and people willing to change their minds”.
Mr Sarwar warned that his party must “reach out” to those who are currently voting Conservative or SNP, add that “we have to bring people on and win them on the argument, on a bigger, bolder vision”.
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