SCOTTISH Labour are reportedly set to review their links with their UK bosses after Anas Sarwar led the party to its worst ever Holyrood defeat.
A review will examine the “operational and financial relationship between Scottish Labour and UK Labour”, according to a leaked document obtained by the Daily Record.
Counted by seats, Sarwar has led Scottish Labour to its two worst Holyrood election defeats including last month where the party were reduced to the record low of just 17 MSPs.
Scottish Labour’s governing body has agreed there will be a post mortem to examine why the party failed, with some insiders blaming Keir Starmer’s unpopular UK Government while others point the finger at Sarwar.
Up for review will be the “party’s campaign message, manifesto and policy offer”, the Record reports.
Another part of the review will be: “What were Scottish Labour’s objectives for the 2026 election, and were they realistic and clearly understood?”
And party chiefs will also be asked to consider: “How did the performance, reputation and decisions of UK Labour and the UK Government affect Scottish Labour’s campaign?”
Reviewing Scottish Labour’s “relationship” with the UK party could put pressure on the operation north of the Border, which has historically relied on cash from central funds.
Sarwar’s doomed 2026 election campaign was also buoyed by substantial donations from figures such as the Easdale brothers and a £130,000 gift from Paul McManus, the drummer from the band Gun.
SNP MSP Pauline Stafford said: “The reality of Labour’s crushing defeat is nobody cares about it. Their own MSPs can’t even be bothered getting rid of Anas Sarwar despite him leading their party to their two worst ever defeats.
“But it doesn’t take a review to work out why the Labour Party suffered its worst election result in the history of Scottish devolution.
“Despite receiving millions of pounds from London, Anas Sarwar lost because – in contrast to the SNP – he had no positive vision for Scotland and refused to engage with the fact that more than half the country wants to see Scotland take her rightful place as an independent nation.”
Scottish Labour’s Paul O’Kane, who lost his seat at last month’s election, previously left the door open to his party developing a more independent stance apart from its bosses in London.
He told the Planet Holyrood podcast: “We are the party of devolution. We believe in devolution. We believe in devolution that progresses.
“But we probably didn't do that for our internal party structures and we need to accept that in a devolved UK, looking at more devolved structures to the Scottish Labour Party isn't necessarily a bad thing.”
Scottish Labour were approached for comment.
