Press release

Claudia Beamish Labour and Co-operative Parties Westminster candidate for  Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale, hosted a Scottish reception at

National Labour Conference in Brighton on Sunday. As Chair of the Scottish Labour Party she chaired a Scottish Delegates Meeting , inviting Iain Gray, Shadow First Minister and Ann McKechin, Under  Secretary of State in  Scotland Office to respond to questions from the floor .The meeting was also attended by Russell Brown MP.

A range of topics were covered,  including Labour’s determination to continue to support young people as we move out of recession,  to ensure we do not risk having a jobs  lost generation, as happened under the last Tory rule.

Iain Gray highlighted the waste of public money on a referendum bill when

families are concerned about their financial future.

Claudia welcomed the leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, attending the reception having just returned from the USA, where his busy schedule concerned a fairer deal for developing nations in global financial markets. He had also been opening discussions internationally about reducing our trident missile replacement programme.

 From the chair, Claudia drew attention to both these important developments.

On Monday,  Claudia  spoke from the platform of  a CND fringe

meeting at the Conference, questioning the need for Trident replacement in the changed global circumstances and in the context of the need in future years for cuts in government spending. Claudia advocates a defence diversification agency,  establishing a route from nuclear weapons work  towards

other military or civil enterprise. Prime among such being renewable energy and energy efficiency programmes.

Again, during the Environment Debate in the main conference,

Claudia set out to underline the need for a Just Transition programme,  so that workers can embrace changes in

environmental  public policy. She argues that in the shift from a toxic economy to a sustainable society, those affected should be able to train for transferable skills on conserved salaries. Such an initiative should be supported by government, trade unions and business in partnership.