JOHN Swinney described Anas Sarwar as a "weak man" who asks questions of "little substance" after he suggested the First Minister's leadership was under threat.
After asking two questions about Scottish bus maker Alexander Dennis planning to move its operations to England, the Scottish Labour leader swiftly moved on to talk about an alleged secret meeting of SNP figures.
They had reportedly focused on ousting Swinney as leader following a key by-election loss, giving him just a few weeks to come up with a plan to save his job.
Sarwar accused Swinney of pressing the "big panic independence button" to "save his skin" after the First Minister made a speech on his desire for self-determination this week.
Swinney described Sarwar's attacks as "the performance of a weak man".
He said: "Isn’t it interesting that Mr Sarwar’s interest in the workers of Alexander Dennis lasted two questions and then he gets on to his usual posturing in this Parliament of little substance that is before us.
Watch as John Swinney call Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar a ‘weak man’ following a fiery exchange at FMQs 🔥 🗣️ 'He's toadying behind the Labour leader in the United Kingdom' pic.twitter.com/gysdhKHm5D
— The National (@ScotNational) June 19, 2025
"That’s the performance of a weak man in front of Parliament today.
“I’ll tell Mr Sarwar what I’ve been doing this week – presiding over a government that’s delivered for the 10th year in a row Scotland at the top of the list of inward investment successes in the United Kingdom other than London and the South East.
"We’ve seen a rise in positive destinations for school leavers. We have confirmed this week that we will scrap the two-child cap, ensuring 20,000 children will be lifted out of poverty.
"In the same week as we commit ourselves to lifting the two-child cap, Anas Sarwar is toadying in behind the Labour leader in the United Kingdom to send 50,000 children into poverty with a welfare reform bill.
“Scotland can see that Anas Sarwar is linked to a UK Labour Government that will put more children into poverty, while my Government will lift children out of poverty. That’s the Scottish Government delivering for our people.”
Up to 400 jobs are at risk as the bus manufacturer announced plans to move operations to England from its factories in Falkirk and Larbert.
Sarwar said Swinney received a letter a year ago stating that a move to buy buses from China would put Scottish jobs at risk - and asked the FM how many buses his Government had ordered from Scotland.
The pair clashed over the same issue last week.
Earlier in the session, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay was accused of making a "false statement" on school exclusions.
Findlay called new guidance on dealing with violence and disruptive behaviour in schools “tedious” and “complicated” and later went on to suggest Swinney had "virtually stopped exclusions".
Swinney said this claim was "palpably false".
"I have just told Parliament there was 11,676 exclusions in 2022/23, so that statement from Mr Findlay is false," he went on.
Swinney accused Findlay of the “demonisation of young people” in his call for more exclusions.
"What we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and the interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society," Swinney said.
“It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.”
Later in the session, Patrick Harvie asked his final question at FMQs as co-leader of the Scottish Greens, where he hit out at Swinney for "walking away" from Green policies.
He asked the First Minister what the Scottish Government had “done differently” since a summit was held aimed at tackling the far right, adding he had seen "no meaningful change" since the meeting.
Swinney said the Government has taken forward its agenda to eradicate child poverty and has continued to work on immigration policies, a measure he says will help stop the rise of the far right.
“It sounds as though the Government's agenda after the summit is exactly the same as it was before the summit,” replied Harvie.
He argued that the FM had “walked away” from progressive Green policies, adding that he can’t “think of a single signature policy” adopted by Swinney since he became leader.
Swinney responded by saying he “couldn’t disagree more” with Harvie, suggesting his speech was his "last hurrah".
