Kezia Dugdale with Western Isles Labour candidate, Rhoda Grant.
Labour will address islands' needs, says Dugdale
23 April 2016
Kezia Dugdale said her party will help the Harris Tweed industry to thrive.
The Scottish Labour leader wove a section of the famous fabric while on a visit to the Western Isles on Thursday.
She said she enjoyed the experience of pedaling away on a loom at the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill in Shawbost in Lewis and took care not to break any threads in the pattern.
Ms Dugdale said: “There’s an intense amount of pressure there -
She added: “The Harris Tweed industry is a very important employer. There’s a huge amount of cultural heritage associated with what happens here and I want to protect and support that.
“Likewise, there’s a huge opportunity to grow, to export and take this wonderful product around the world.
“Any government I lead would invest in the opportunities to do just that.”
She said Scottish Labour would draft policies better suited to islands’ requirements.
She added: “I’m acutely aware that whilst we bring powers from London to Edinburgh we have got to move powers out of Edinburgh to the communities where we can design policies suited to the needs here.
“I’ve been to the Western Isles before, listening to people, understanding the different circumstances here and coming up with policies that address those needs.”