Starmer Accused of Avoiding Scottish Labour Leader on Scotland Visit
Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for "skulking" around Scotland and avoiding Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar during a brief visit.
The prime minister visited the Faslane nuclear base on Saturday after returning from Paris, where he attended the UK-France summit addressing the Iran crisis.
This marks Sir Keir's first trip north of the border since Sarwar publicly called for his resignation in February.
BBC Scotland has learned that Sir Keir did not meet with Sarwar or any Scottish Labour colleagues campaigning for the upcoming Holyrood election.
First Minister John Swinney described it as "strange" that Sir Keir was not campaigning alongside Scottish Labour candidates, while Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused him of "skulking" and appearing "unable to look Sarwar in the eyes".
BBC Scotland has requested a response from Downing Street.
"He's the prime minister of the UK and it's right that he makes a visit, particularly when it relates to defence. I think that's important given the global consequences of the situation we have right now. His job is to be prime minister and govern the country. My job is to lead a campaign and change the government here in Scotland and that's what I'm focused on doing."
Anas Sarwar said that while it was appropriate for the prime minister to visit, especially on defence matters, his focus remained on leading the campaign to change the Scottish government.
Sarwar acknowledged that it did not surprise him that others in the party did not support his calls for Sir Keir to resign, which he said caused him personal pain.
"There’s no point pretending there wasn’t personal pain, but I did what I did and I stand by it. People know what the tipping point was for me but what I’m relentlessly focused on is making sure that we change the first minister in this country because this election is about our schools, our hospitals, our local services. It’s about our towns, cities, villages and islands. It’s not about an endorsement of Keir Starmer or voting for who the prime minister is. It’s about rejecting 20 years of the SNP and getting change with Scottish Labour."
Faslane Nuclear Base Visit
The Faslane base, located on the Gare Loch approximately 25 miles (40km) northwest of Glasgow, is the home of all Royal Navy nuclear submarines.
This includes the UK's four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines equipped with Trident nuclear missiles.
First Minister John Swinney commented:
"The prime minister is quite clearly on a very quiet visit to Scotland. I don’t know what the purpose of it is and I don’t know any details of it. It seems strange that a Labour prime minister comes to Scotland during an election campaign and doesn’t appear to be campaigning with the Labour Party. It’s almost as if the Labour Party is ashamed of the prime minister."
He further described Sir Keir as a "failed" and "incompetent" prime minister who would not survive beyond the 7 May elections.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay stated:
"It seems that Keir Starmer is skulking around a top-secret high security submarine base unable to face the public, unable to even look Anas Sarwar in the eyes. And that’s because he’s a busted flush. He has lied to the public. He’s lied to Parliament. No wonder Anas Sarwar wants nothing to do with him. The guy shouldn’t be in Downing Street and he’s a complete and utter disgrace."
Findlay called on Scottish Labour MPs to support Sarwar's calls for Sir Keir to resign.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added:
"I’m not surprised Anas Sarwar doesn’t want to be seen with Keir Starmer, who is mired in controversy. He still has monumental questions to answer in the House of Commons about what he knew about Peter Mandelson’s vetting situation. If he has misled Parliament, he should resign."
Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, remarked that the absence of a meeting between Sir Keir and Sarwar illustrated the "ridiculous position that Labour are in".
"The fact that their Scottish leader and the prime minister can’t be at the same visit together just shows how divided they are - and how inappropriate they are to be running the country."
Mandelson Vetting Controversy
Sir Keir has faced intense scrutiny from opposition MPs regarding his claim that he only recently learned that Lord Mandelson failed the developed vetting (DV) process, which is an intrusive security check for individuals with access to classified information.
The prime minister had previously told the House of Commons that "due process" was followed in Mandelson's appointment, leading to accusations that he misled Parliament.
On Friday evening, Downing Street released an official account of a 15 April meeting during which Sir Keir said he was first informed about Mandelson's vetting failure.
He described the decision not to inform him earlier as "staggering" and added:
"That I wasn’t told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable."
The SNP has criticised Sir Keir's account as "simply not credible" and stated that No 10 was warned months ago about Mandelson's vetting failure.
Details on Faslane Submarines
Faslane's Vanguard submarines are the UK's sole platform for nuclear weapons and are scheduled to be replaced by the new Dreadnought-class submarines after 2030.
The base also hosts Astute-class nuclear-powered but conventionally armed attack submarines.
The UK's nuclear warheads are stored nearby at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport on Loch Long.
The UK has maintained continuous at-sea deterrence since 1969, initially with Polaris missiles and subsequently with Trident missiles, deployed on nuclear-powered submarines capable of remaining submerged for months.
Faslane has been a focal point for anti-war protests, notably by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
A peace camp has been established just outside the site since 1982, originally protesting the Thatcher government's decision to purchase the Trident missile system and continuing nearly 40 years later.
The community, consisting of residents living in caravans and temporary structures, regularly holds anti-nuclear demonstrations, vigils, and direct actions against nuclear weapons.
