Scottish Labour Leader Jim Murphy has been condemned for refusing to join a cross-party effort to save a key air search-and-rescue centre, despite one of his own MSPs proposing the idea.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last night wrote to David Cameron, urging him not to let the Ministry of Defence close the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) at Kinloss in Moray.
The letter was endorsed by three other party leaders at Holyrood - Tory Ruth Davidson, LibDem Willie Rennie and Scottish Green Patrick Harvie.
However, despite Labour's Dave Stewart suggesting the cross-party approach, Murphy refused to join Sturgeon and the others, and said he would send the Prime Minister his own letter instead.
The Kinloss centre co-ordinates RAF, Royal Navy and Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, as well as the RAF mountain rescue service.
Around 27 RAF posts and 10 civilian posts would be affected by its relocation to the National Maritime Operations Centre at Fareham, on the south coast of England.
Announcing the closure of Kinloss on December 11, the Ministry of Defence said the move to Fareham would combine the aeronautical and maritime rescue co-ordination functions, resulting in a better service for those in distress.
"The new UK search and rescue service will use brand-new, faster helicopters to cut average response times and provide a more reliable overall service," a UK Government spokesman said.
However the closure has been fiercely opposed by the SNP and other parties at Holyrood.
On Thursday, Highlands & Islands Labour MSP Dave Stewart asked Sturgeon to "join all the party leaders today to make an eleventh-hour bid to save the Kinloss centre and provide some Christmas cheer for the civilian and military staff who are acknowledged by mountaineers and offshore workers alike as a beacon of light on the hill".
Sturgeon said she "would be delighted to convene a cross-party campaign from the chamber to seek to persuade the UK Government to change its mind".
It is understood Murphy prevaricated for several hours on the issue then refused to join in.
With the blessing of all the other leaders bar Murphy, the First Minister wrote to Cameron urging him to put pressure on UK defence secretary Michael Fallon to reconsider, as closure would mean the withdrawal of a highly specialised and valued resource from Scotland.
"Although the number of military and civilian personnel involved may be limited, their expertise is vitally important to search and rescue co-ordination across the UK.
"Their presence at Kinloss Barracks is especially valued in light of Scotland's extensive coastline and mountain ranges and through the relationships that our mountain rescue teams have developed over a number of years with their ARCC colleagues."
Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, described Murphy's refusal as "deeply disappointing" and said it smacked of "the worst aspects of Westminster-style politics". He said: "Only a week into the job, Mr Murphy's claims to be happy to work to achieve consensus have fallen at the very first hurdle.
"The families of those employed at the base - and people across Moray - will have been heartened to see people working across party boundaries to try and save this vital station - but equally will be shocked and saddened that Jim Murphy has decided against joining the cross-party consensus. Everyone in Scottish politics should be putting partisan agendas aside and working together to save this vital base - service personnel and their families deserve nothing less."
A Labour spokesman said: "Jim wrote to the Secretary of State for Defence to outline his concerns as leader of the Scottish Labour Party.''
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