Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar today warned Sir Keir Starmer to steer clear of his party’s Holyrood election campaign over the coming months.
In a direct criticism of the beleaguered Prime Minister and his national party leader, Mr Sarwar highlighted errors made by Sir Keir’s Labour administration at Westminster.
He acknowledged that Sir Keir and the UK Government are ‘not popular’ with the public and people across Scotland are ‘angry’.
Mr Sarwar urged the PM and his Cabinet ministers to remain working ‘in their departments’ rather than campaign in Scotland ahead of this year’s Scottish Parliament elections.
Scottish Labour are battling to prevent the SNP winning a fifth consecutive term in power at Holyrood in May.
Mr Sarwar is facing an additional challenge from Reform UK, with polls suggesting Nigel Farage‘s party could finish ahead of both Labour and the Tories in the Scottish Parliament contests.
Those elections, together with contests for the Welsh Senedd and council and mayoral elections in England, are set to be a key test of Sir Keir’s premiership.
It is widely expected that a disastrous set of election results for Labour will prompt an effort to oust Sir Keir among Labour MPs.
Scottish Labourleader Anas Sarwar today warned Sir Keir Starmerto steer clear of his party’s Holyrood election campaign over the coming months
In a direct criticism of the beleaguered Prime Minister and his national party leader, Mr Sarwar highlighted errors made by Sir Keir’s Labour administration at Westminster.
In an address to party supporters in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Sarwar attempted to distance himself from the PM and the UK Government.
‘I know that across Scotland people are angry, frustrated and impatient with the pace of change at Westminster,’ he said.
‘I do believe that no Labour government at Westminster, however well intentioned, principled or capable, could have undone the damage of two decades in just two years.
‘The UK Labour Government has many meaningful achievements which they need to shout louder about, but it is also fair to say that they haven’t got everything right.
‘And there are still many challenges they still must confront. I get it. I don’t just feel it, I don’t just see it, I hear it across Scotland.
‘I know the Prime Minister and the UK Labour Government are not popular with the public right now.
‘So, I am not running to be Scotland’s first minister in denial of that truth. I am running to be Scotland’s first minister in defiance of it.’
Mr Sarwar was asked after his speech if he wanted to see Sir Keir come up to Scotland to campaign alongside him ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.
He told reporters: ‘The best thing that Keir Starmer and the UK Labour Government can do is be behind their doors and in their departments getting things right and changing our country.
‘That’s the single best thing they can do for people in Scotland and right across the country.
‘I am leading this campaign, I am the candidate for first minister, I’m the one that’s going to go out and make the case to Scotland about why we need to take a different direction in four months’ time.’
