JIM Murphy's pledge to use Labour's proposed mansion tax to fund 1000 extra nurses in Scotland has caused a storm of protest south of the Border.

That could not be better for the new Scottish Labour leader.

His top priority is to win back 200,000 former Labour supporters who voted Yes in the referendum because they were disillusioned with Westminster politics and felt London was not listening to Scotland.

Criticism from the Tories, from likes of London mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative chairman Grant Shapps, served to highlight a key election dividing line: Labour are prepared to hike taxes on the very wealthy and use it to support public services.

But even more useful from Mr Murphy's point of view was the spat with Labour MPs in London.

What better way to prove he is his own man and Scottish Labour no longer dances to so-called "London Labour's" tune?

The clash with Diane Abbott on Radio 4's World at One, when the Hackney MP accused him of "expropriating money from London to Scotland" could have been scripted by Mr Murphy. The headline in yesterday's London Evening Standard - "Labour at war over mansion tax 'bribe' for Scots" - must have been music to his ears.

If, as cynics might suspect, the dispute has been stage-managed for Mr Murphy's benefit, it at least shows Ed Miliband cares more about winning over Glasgow Man than losing a few votes in London.

Criticism of Mr Murphy's plan from either side does not stand up to too much scrutiny.

During the referendum both Labour and the Conservatives argued that pooling and sharing resources was a key strength of the UK - and that is all Mr Murphy is proposing.

But he will relish the flak. By drawing a link between a tax that would be raised largely in London and protecting services in Scotland, he has managed to send a strong message to the voters he most needs to reach.