Appointing Anas Sarwar to the Lords so he can join Andy Burnham’s ministerial team is a “terrible look” for the new Prime Minister, John Swinney has insisted.
The Scottish First Minister spoke out after it emerged Mr Sarwar is to step down as Scottish Labour leader, allowing him to take up a ministerial role in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
But it comes after Scottish Labour suffered its worst ever Holyrood result in May – with Mr Swinney claiming the appointment was a “very very strange way” for the new Prime Minister to try to rebuild confidence in politics.
That said, the SNP leader said he wished Mr Sarwar, who has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021, well for his “exciting new job”.
But he added: “I think it is a terrible look for Andy Burnham.”
Mr Swinney, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast said: “The new Prime Minister has made a great play of essentially improving people’s perceptions of politics and politicians, and to make one of his first decisions a decision to take the Labour leader in Scotland, who has just led the Labour Party to their worst result in the history of the Scottish Parliament elections, and give him a job for life in the House of Lords and a job in the UK Government, is in my view a very very strange way of trying to rebuild confidence of the public in politics.”
News that Mr Sarwar would be leaving Holyrood to join the UK Government broke on Tuesday night – coming hours after the First Minister had a “very constructive” telephone conversation with the new Prime Minister.
Mr Swinney said the PM had told him they would “have to agree to disagree” on the issues of independence and a second referendum.
But the First Minister said: “It’s not really a surprise to me the Prime Minister doesn’t agree with me on Scottish independence.”
Mr Swinney added however that he had had a “constructive and positive” discussion “about the devolution of greater responsibilities to Scotland” with the Labour leader.
The First Minister stated: “What the Prime Minister said to me yesterday, which is really significant, is that he is in favour of the devolution of more powers and responsibilities, but he is not going to do that in a fashion which bypasses the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government.
“That’s a really significant commitment the Prime Minister gave me.”
Speaking about Mr Burnham, he continued: “We had an introductory call yesterday and we will have more conversations. The tone of the discussion was constructive and positive about the devolution of greater responsibilities to Scotland.
“The Prime Minister assured me that would not be done in a fashion that bypassed the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government.
“I take significant assurance from that that there is going to be no undermining of the democratically agreed devolved settlement.
“There’s got to be respect for the devolved settlement in Scotland, that’s what I look forward to advancing with the Prime Minister.”
That comes despite Mr Swinney saying the relationship between the Scottish Government and the Scotland Office had “haemorrhaged” when Douglas Alexander was appointed Scottish Secretary in September last year.
Mr Alexander was kept in the key position by Mr Burnham when he set out his Cabinet team after moving into Downing Street on Monday.
“There was a deterioration in relationships between the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government when Douglas Alexander was appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland,” Mr Swinney said.
While he said Holyrood ministers had had a “pretty constructive relationship” with the Scotland Office when Ian Murray was in the post, the First Minister added: “That pretty much haemorrhaged with Douglas Alexander’s arrival.”
While he said relations had “soured significantly”, Mr Swinney said the PM had assured him he wants a “collaborative relationship” relationship with Scotland.
The SNP leader added: “I take that at face value and I hope that that is reflected in the approach that is taken by the Secretary of State for Scotland.”
