This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

Whether or not they have religious convictions of any kind senior Labour figures would do well to make time for prayer this Easter, ahead of what are likely to be testing elections on May 7 at Holyrood and beyond. 

In government at Westminster, Labour is beset by problems relating to policy, the economy, and continuing fallout from the resignations of both Peter Mandelson and Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney. Less than two years on from a landslide general election victory Labour’s fortunes have waned, while the political vista has become highly fragmented.  

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have dominated UK polling for many months, likewise the SNP in Scotland, with Plaid Cymru out in front in Wales. Then there is the Green Party, still riding the crest of a wave following their triumph at the Gorton and Denton by-election and now highly confident of success in council seats across English metropolitan areas where Labour’s support has long seemed impenetrable. 

Should all of this come to pass, the clamour for Labour to change course will be deafening -  heaping still more pressure on Keir Starmer, who only in February saw off a call from Anas Sarwar to step aside, the Scottish Labour boss saying “too many mistakes” had been made by the Prime Minister. 

Therefore, with what looks very much like a crunch point on the near horizon several questions demand an answer. What would a different set........

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