The National:

SCOTTISH Labour have stuck their foot in it. Again.

The boffins at Scottish Labour HQ had devised an ingenious way to discredit the SNP: criticise the SNP-run Glasgow City Council for closing down one of the city’s landmark buildings.

An excellent idea on paper – but there's always a twist with Scottish Labour.

The petition launched by Labour to halt the scheduled closure of the Winter Gardens and possible closure of the People’s Palace – due to concerns for public safety and the high cost of making legally required improvements – piqued the interest of inquisitive social media users.

Many pointed out that the buildings were under the control of Labour-run councils for 27 years, until 2015.

The new campaign, accompanied by the slogan “Don’t evict the people from their Palace” (with random words in bold, for no good reason), also caught the attention of Glasgow councillor Mhairi Hunter.

Commenting on the party’s “frankly barking” petition, she tweeted: “A structural engineering report found that both the glass and the structure need to be replaced.

“At this stage I don’t know if this is due to neglect or if there is an effective shelf life for glasshouses. I am willing to bet Scottish Labour don’t know this either. We shall find out when reports are provided to councillors.

“What we do know is that council officers are currently working on a plan to create a new fire exit in the Peoples Palace so that it can remain open. (The current fire exit is via the Winter Gardens). This fact is in the public domain.

“There is no conceivable way Scottish Labour don’t know that. They think you are stupid & will sign a petition to stop the SNP closing the Peoples Palace out of sheer badness. That is how little respect they have for you as voters. They think they can pull the wool over your eyes because you are too daft to notice. That is the only possible explanation of their behaviour.”

Judging by comments on social media too, it seems Labour’s plan of attack hasn't quite went as planned.