A vote for Labour in Scotland is not a vote for Sir Keir Starmer, Anas Sarwar has said, saying he too is “angry and disappointed" about Westminster politics.
The Scottish Labour leader – who called for the prime minister to quit in February – said the upcoming Holyrood election is “the first opportunity to change the government in Scotland for 20 years”.
“It’s not an election without consequence, about protest or some kind of free hit,” he warned.
It comes amid escalating discontent over Sir Keir’s leadership of the party, and mounting questions over the direction of government with just days to go until the local elections expected to deliver a brutal result for Labour across the UK.
Meanwhile, the Holyrood elections in Scotland are expected to deliver victory for the SNP once again – with Labour and Reform fighting for second place.
While Mr Sarwar’s party not long ago seemed certain to take power at Holyrood following the landslide in the 2024 general election, Labour’s turbulent first two years in office have crushed its support in Scotland.
Writing in The Independent, the party’s Scottish leader tried to distance himself from Labour’s disastrous record in Westminster as part of an attempt to claw back some support in Holyrood.
“The SNP want this election to be about anything other than Scotland or their record. They instead want to point at Westminster. I get that people are angry and disappointed about Westminster and Holyrood, I am too”, Mr Sarwar wrote.
“A vote for me and Scottish Labour on Thursday is not an endorsement of Keir Starmer an it won’t be used as one. It’s to change the first minister.
“Their vote is not about passing judgement on a government that has been in power for 2 years, but about 20 years of the SNP.
“It’s not an election without consequence, about protest or some kind of free hit. It’s about our schools and hospitals, and getting change in Scotland.”
He added: “If you want to reject the poison of Reform, beat the SNP and change Scotland, there is only one route to do it and that is Scottish Labour.
“Not because of slogans. Because of the reality of how elections are won in Scotland. Only Scottish Labour can replace the SNP in the constituencies that matter.
“Only Scottish Labour can form a serious alternative government. Only Scottish Labour can turn frustration into something better.”
In February, Mr Sarwar called on the prime minister to quit, saying there had been “too many mistakes” from No 10 and adding: “The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
His latest intervention comes amid reports that the prime minister faces a plot from Labour MPs to oust him from office following what is expected to be a disastrous set of local election results.
Backbenchers who won their seats in the 2024 election are reportedly planning to push for the prime minister’s resignation in an open letter reminiscent of the a round-robin letter put to Sir Tony Blair 20 years ago.
According to The Times, MPs are to blame Sir Keir for the outcome of the local elections this week, and ask him to set a date for his departure.
The paper reported that a number of cabinet ministers are aware of the plot, but that none have joined the limited number of potential signatories.
Housing minister Steve Reed told Sky News on Tuesday that MPs “want this psychodrama to stop” and warned against the party from “doomscrolling through leaders”.
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