Why Scottish Labour need another Sarwar, not a disciple of Corbyn

Brian Leishman, an MP on the party’s left, certainly seems to think so. “... I want to get back to our traditional Scottish Labour roots and rediscover our radicalism. Because quite frankly, what we've been offering the last five years clearly has not struck any chord with the electorate whatsoever,” he told The Scotsman.

One problem is that a lurch to the left would take Labour into a crowded field. The SNP generally like to wear ‘progressive’ clothes, while the Scottish Greens have become the natural home for those attracted to hard-left ideas. The ‘gap in the market’ is clearly for a centre-left party with credible economic ideas and compassionate policies.

READ MORE: Scottish Labour suffering 'identity crisis' as Sarwar heads to Lords

An act of desperation

Just two years ago, following Labour’s general election victory, many were predicting Sarwar would walk into Bute House. The reason why he did not – despite the countless failings of the SNP government – had nothing to do with his skills as a politician and everything to do with the mistakes made by Keir Starmer’s government.

When Sarwar called for Starmer to resign in the run-up to the Holyrood election, it was an indication of just how badly the then Prime Minister had hurt his party’s chances in Scotland. But it was an act of desperation, designed to limit the damage more than anything else.

READ MORE: Who will be the next Scottish Labour leader? The runners and riders to replace Anas Sarwar

With Sarwar set to quit as leader to take a seat in the Lords and become a minister in Andy Burnham’s government – where he will finally get his hands on some actual levers of power – Scottish Labour must do some serious soul-searching and try to find a replacement with at least as much charisma and common sense.

They tried flirting with hard-left politics under Richard Leonard, a disciple of Jeremy Corbyn, and that didn’t work. Instead, building on Sarwar’s legacy would be the most sensible course. But regardless of who takes over, their fate will likely rest on the performance of a certain Andy Burnham. Unfair maybe, but true.