## Marra points to early signs of Labour recovery
The “bounce-back” of Scottish Labour has already begun, new party leader Michael Marra has said, just over a week after taking charge of the party.
Marra, the North East MSP, became leader following what the supplied report describes as Scottish Labour’s worst-ever result at a Holyrood election in May. The result prompted criticism of the party’s previous strategy, with blame also directed at former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
But Marra said Labour’s fortunes had begun to change with Andy Burnham’s installation as prime minister.
“I think the bounce-back has started already,” he said.
Marra said Burnham had made “a really good start” in Number 10 and was speaking about issues affecting people in their daily lives. He added that people felt they had a better relationship with him as a country.
## Focus on child poverty and education
The Scottish Labour leader described his own start in the role as “really strong”. He said he wanted to set the agenda on child poverty and education, issues he said mattered to people across Scotland.
Marra said the party needed to explain more clearly what Labour stood for over the long term, rather than focusing only on what it opposed.
“That’s going to be the keystone to rebuilding the Labour Party as a force in Scotland,” he said.
He described the Liverpool conference, his first since becoming leader, as “really upbeat and hopeful”. The event had included an agenda focused on the re-industrialisation of the whole country, investment across the UK, stronger workers’ rights, higher wages and economic performance, Marra said.
## Scotland described as a priority
Marra said Scotland was “absolutely a priority” for Burnham’s government. He said his first phone call after becoming Scottish Labour leader had been a conversation with the prime minister and that the two men were due to meet again.
He also said he was due to speak with people around Burnham over the following days. According to Marra, they were clear about Scotland’s importance to the prime minister’s future agenda for the UK.
“We want to make sure that Scottish Labour is at the forefront of leading that change as well,” he said.
Marra’s comments present the party’s recent leadership change and the early activity of Burnham’s government as the beginnings of a recovery. His assessment comes after a difficult Holyrood election result and amid a stated effort to give Scottish Labour a clearer long-term identity centred on issues including child poverty, education, investment and workers’ rights.
