BBC Question Time Audience Meets Kezia Dugdale's Rallying Cry With Defiant, Awkward Silence

Question Time Audience Meets Kezia Dugdale's Rallying Cry With Very Awkward Silence

The leader of the Scottish Labour party, Kezia Dugdale, was met with an awkward silence on BBC's Question Time last night after unleashing a passionate speech to rally dwindling support in the country.

Labour lost 40 of their 41 seats in Scotland at this year's general election and Dugdale was desperate in her attempts to win back the Edinburgh audience. In turn she was met with silence and as co-panellist and Corbyn-backer Billy Bragg described it a "deep skepticism."

The speech came after Dugdale was questioned on her views of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the party. To which she responded by telling QT audience members that she'd voted for Yvette Cooper in the leadership contest.

"We are in terrible trouble, I recognise that. It’s why I went for the job, because I believe the values of the Labour party are as relevant now as they have ever been," she began.

"Believing in the potential of people and using the power of government to realise that potential, that’s the Labour way, I want to build a fairer and more equal country and I think over the next few weeks and months you’ll see a Labour policy platform coming forward which will inspire you once again."

After her outcry a silence swept across the room until presenter David Dimbleby interjected "met with silence here" before moving on to the next question.

Watchers of the programme at home, flocked to discuss the moment on Twitter and Dugdale was met with a barrage of Tweets:

Elsewhere musician Billy Bragg lashed out at an audience member after he attacked Corbyn's chances in the country.

“To sit up there and tell me what’s going to happen to Jeremy Corbyn, mate, I think you’ve got another thing coming," Bragg said.

The political activist also claimed Corbyn was representative of an “urge for change” in politics.

Bragg added: “What people want from politics is changing, that’s easily visible here in Scotland, it’s not quite so visible in England but Corbyn is a representative of that urge for change. This is grassroots Labour.

“The reason why Red Ed, so called, didn’t win last time was because that was the old way of doing things. It was a hollowed out party, top down orders and the membership disregarded. All this is changing.

“We just have to convince first the Parliamentary Labour Party and then everybody else that he really does represent genuine positive change.”

Joining Dugdale and Bragg on the panel were SNP's Keith Brown MSP, ex-leader of the Scottish Conservatives Annabel Goldie MSP and editor of MoneyWeek Merryn Somerset Webb.

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