Scottish Labour’s rivals in Holyrood have attacked Anas Sarwar’s shock decision to resign as leader and sit in Andy Burnham’s new government, accusing him of being a “chancer” and of lying to voters. The new prime minister plans to make Sarwar, the first Labour figure to call for Keir Starmer’s resignation, a peer and give him a ministerial post at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Why have rivals reacted so strongly?
They said Sarwar’s move was hypocritical, given his past criticism of the House of Lords and his previous stance on entering it. Scottish Green party co-leader Gillian Mackay said:
“Anas Sarwar is a chancer. He has gone from promising to scrap the House of Lords to taking a seat in it.
“He has spent years attacking the very institution he is now preparing to join. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.”
The SNP called on Sarwar to donate his new “bumper salary” to charity, accusing him of misleading voters about his intentions after previously saying he would never enter the Lords. The party said that position had been described as “unacceptable” in 2022.
“The Labour party and Anas Sarwar repeatedly denied and lied to the people of Scotland about Anas Sarwar’s intentions – the fact he will now be prancing about in ermine robes won’t be forgotten.”
Was the move expected inside Scottish Labour?
Despite the move coming less than three months after his election campaign – – people who know Sarwar do not believe it was planned. Figures within his own party were left reeling, with “surprised” being the word used by a number of Scottish Labour politicians and staff on Wednesday.
One Scottish Labour worker said:
“If he was going to resign, it would have been clearer to have stated that in May and given everyone the chance to have a proper assessment and restructure things however needed. Doing it this way means everyone is thrown into the lurch.”
As is the formality in some constituencies, his seat as a member of the Scottish parliament will be relinquished and passed to the next person on the list, Monica Lennon. Lennon is also viewed as a credible contender for the party leadership, having been a popular MSP in the past.
Michael Marra, the MSP for North East Scotland, is another name being put forward as a potential candidate outside the power centres of Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Who could replace him as Scottish Labour leader?
The field will not be wide, as there are only 17 Labour MSPs to choose from. An MP or even a Lord can take on the Scottish Labour leadership — meaning Sarwar does not technically have to resign as leader — but the role is most commonly held by an MSP because of the responsibilities in the Scottish parliament.
A source close to Sarwar said:
“The next [Scottish] labour leader will need to [provide] balance between the offer to Scotland that is a uniquely Scottish offer, while being part of a UK-wide party. That has been a constant conflict, a constant battle.”
Another said the next leader would:
“have to do some educating of Andy Burnham”.
“He’s the king of the north but he is prime minister of the United Kingdom.”
Criticism from north of the border has said Burnham falls short when it comes to the devolved nations. Scottish politicians from across the political spectrum have complained that Burnham lacks knowledge of, or interest in, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sarwar’s appointment could help bridge that gap, the source said.
Why would Sarwar choose Westminster over Holyrood?
While many people were shocked by Sarwar’s perceived willingness to leave Scotland behind, given the choice between being in power in Westminster and in opposition in Holyrood, a source close to Sarwar in the party said it would be common sense for him to choose Westminster.
The source said:
“I’m maybe less surprised than people out in the wider labour world because he’s someone who’s very ambitious. Politically, he’s someone who wants to affect change. He’s obviously not in power, he faced the prospect of hanging around for another 5 years until the next Holyrood election, I just think we would have been bored had he stayed on and he’s not someone that would like to sit around and be bored.”
