Exclusive:Sarwar accuses SNP and Reform of 'co-ordinated plan' to smear him and poses 'moral question' for Swinney
Anas Sarwar has argued that John Swinney is trying to tie him to “the very people who are race-baiting me”.
Anas Sarwar has accused Reform and the SNP of a “deliberate, co-ordinated plan” to tie Scottish Labour to Nigel Farage’s party to sabotage his plans for change.
The Scottish Labour leader has also accused SNP leader John Swinney of “attempting to tie me to the very people who are race-baiting me”, suggesting the First Minister “has to answer a moral question”.
A war of words has erupted between Reform UK and Scottish Labour amid accusations over a potential post-election deal or arrangement between the two parties.
First Minister John Swinney described it as a “terrible spat”.
At last weeks’ Channel 4 debate, Reform Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, claimed Mr Sarwar had approached him in December about a deal to remove the SNP from office.
On Monday, Mr Sarwar hit back, accusing Graham Simpson, who defected from the Tories to Reform, of making an approach to him, claiming that he branded Lord Offord “useless” and candidate Thomas Kerr “a weasel”. All allegations and claims have been denied by the opposing party.
It comes after The Scotsman revealed a path being plotted by Labour bosses to make Mr Sarwar first minister, relying on unionist parties including Reform to back him in a vote after the election, if the numbers add up.
At last year’s Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, Reform targeted Mr Sarwar based on his race while the Scottish Labour leader has accused a Reform candidate of “wanting to deport my children” over remarks by Senga Beresford backing all British Muslims being removed from the UK.
Speaking to The Scotsman in Glasgow, Mr Sarwar said he believed the accusation by Lord Offord, of him approaching the Reform leader about a deal, which he has repeatedly denied, was “a smear”, but added he now thinks “it’s a strategy”.
“I think this is a deliberate, co-ordinated plan by Reform, and sadly also by the SNP”, he added.
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“They both realise that the threat and the danger at this election campaign comes from me and Scottish Labour.
“Therefore, they would much rather talk about these issues rather than how we fix our NHS, how we make life more affordable, how we build that better future for Scotland’s amazing young people. That’s what my campaign is relentlessly focused on.”
Asked whether the stand-off between Labour and Reform was distracting from his party’s campaign to win power from the SNP, Mr Sarwar insisted he was “going to cut through that noise”.
The Scottish Labour leader said: “We’re engaging directly with the electorate to relentlessly focus on the fact that this is not a protest election, it’s a change election.”
Mr Sarwar argued there was a disconnect between “what the bubble sees and what the public is seeing”.
He added: “I’m interested in bringing our country together for change. We are making the positive case for change because it’s now abundantly clear that Reform can only stop change, they can only help re-elect an SNP government.”
When Mr Swinney launched the SNP’s campaign last month, he immediately tried to tie a vote for Labour to Reform. The SNP has seized on the speculation that Labour and Reform could do a deal.
Mr Sarwar said: “John Swinney has to answer a moral question - whether he thinks attempting to tie me to the very people who are race-baiting me is the morally right thing to do.
“He might think it’s the politically right thing to do. I’m confident that people on May 7 will give a very different judgement.
“If John Swinney wants to use SNP members’ money to amplify the lies of Malcolm Offord and wants to pretend that those who are race-baiting me, those that have ran racist ads against me are somehow the ones I’m in secret cahoots with - I think that says more about John Swinney than it does about me.”
It came as Mr Simpson appeared to hold out an olive branch to the Scottish Labour leader, and suggested the two parties could still work together.
This is despite Lord Offord previously insisting he would not work with Mr Sarwar in the wake of the row.
Speaking to journalists outside the Scottish Parliament, Mr Simpson said: "I don't want to see another SNP government. I think Anas really today needs to sort of dial it down a bit, stop launching personal attacks, talk about the issues.
"Let's talk about how we improve Scotland, how we make Scotland the most successful part of the UK. That's what he needs to be talking about.
"And then, after the election, we're not too far away, we'll look at the numbers and no doubt there will either be discussions or there won't, but that will be up to the party leaders."
Asked why Mr Sarwar would lie about this matter, he said: "I don't know. I think he's under a lot of stress, he's lashing out. It's pretty strange behaviour."
He added: "I don't know what he's thinking of. He needs to calm down a bit and concentrate on the issues at hand in this election."
Mr Simpson denied ever calling Lord Offord useless. "I think he's doing a good job," he said. "He's really growing into the role, I think, and he's increasingly looking like a first minister in waiting."
First Minister John Swinney, speaking outside the STUC Conference in Dundee, described the ructions between Reform and Labour as a “terrible spat”.
He added: “Alongside this has been newspaper articles written by respected Scottish journalists who have suggested that the only way in which Anas Sarwar could become first minister is with the support of Reform MSPs.
“So there is a whole debate going on between these two parties about the co-operation between them, and I just want to make it clear today that under no circumstances will there be any co-operation between the SNP government that I lead and Reform.
“If people want to lock Reform out of governance in Scottish politics, the straightforward way to do that is to vote for the SNP and I will lock them out.”
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