Labour backing Tories is not new – Here are Scotland’s Better Together councils

Tauqeer Malik, the Labour candidate in Aberdeen South, was caught red-handed on a voter’s Ring doorbell as he claimed his party “did not bother” with campaigning efforts in the constituency in 2019 in the hope the Tories’ Douglas Lumsden would take the seat. 

“That’s why Labour had only 3000 [votes], because we did not do anything,” he said.

But the admission comes as little surprise given Labour have been working with the Tories on councils across Scotland, despite Sarwar’s promise in 2022 they would do no such thing.

Here are the councils where a Better Together deal is in action.

Edinburgh

Labour turned on their former coalition partners in the capital by blocking the SNP – the largest group – from forming an administration. Labour refused to work with them and instead worked with LibDem and Tory councillors to form a minority administration.

(Image: NQ)

The council is led by Labour councillor Cammy Day (above right) who replaced the SNP’s Adam Nols-McVey (above left).

Fife

There has been an SNP-Labour power-sharing agreement in place since 2017 on Fife Council but it was ruled out in 2022 thanks to Sarwar’s “no formal coalitions” line.

READ MORE: How Scottish politics reacted to Labour candidate’s ‘we helped Tories’ video

The SNP were the largest group following the poll, just four seats short of an overall majority. But Labour managed to secure Tory and LibDem support and install themselves in a minority administration despite the party’s worst-ever result in their former stronghold. 

Moray

The Tories became the largest group on Moray Council after gaining three seats, but they fell short of a majority.

They and the SNP put forward bids to rule the council as a minority but it went the way of the Tories in the end after Labour councillors abstained from the vote.

It led to accusations Labour had let the Tories in “by the back door”.

South Ayrshire

The Conservatives managed to remain the largest party in South Ayrshire in 2022 but as in Moray they needed to be propped up to form an administration.

READ MORE: What Labour hopeful’s ‘we threw election for Tories’ admission means

They eventually swept to power thanks again to Labour abstentions. The party also secured the support of two of the local authority’s four independents.

Stirling

Labour ended up as the third-largest party in Stirling after the 2022 election but somehow managed to gain control. They won six seats to the SNP’s eight and Tories seven but struck a deal with the Conservatives to claim power.

Labour offered both the SNP and the Tories the provost chain in return for their backing. The SNP declined, hoping to form their own administration, but the Tories accepted and this brought to an end a previous SNP-Labour coalition.

West Lothian

Before the elections, a Labour minority administration ran West Lothian Council while propped up by Tory votes. However, the Tories won just four seats (down three) meaning that arrangement could no longer command a majority. Labour, who won 12 seats, managed to secure a loose coalition of support from the Tories, and the single LibDem and independent, to form another administration.