Anas Sarwar pleads with Scots to 'hold your nose' and back his bid to beat SNP as Labour in disarray
Scottish leader says he recognises ‘anger’ and ‘frustration’ after humiliating by-election defeat and devastating poll
Anas Sarwar has told Scots to “hold your nose” and vote Labour to remove the SNP from power - despite a dire by-election result and a damning poll overshadowing his crucial party conference.
In a “direct plea” to voters ahead of May’s Holyrood election, taking place in just ten weeks, the Scottish Labour leader recognised “anger” and “frustration” from the public - but appealed for people to back his bid to replace John Swinney in Bute House.
But Scottish Labour’s conference, held in Paisley where Mr Sarwar practised as an NHS dentist for five years, was held against a backdrop of disarray in the party.
Labour endured a humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election, coming in third place behind the Greens and Reform in Greater Manchester.
And a Holyrood poll from YouGov found Labour is poised to finish in fourth place at May’s Holyrood election, behind the SNP, Reform and the Greens.
The polling, commissioned by the Scottish Election Study (SES) group, forecast the SNP to drop to 57 MSPs, with Reform becoming the official opposition party on 22 seats, with the Scottish Greens in third place on 16 and Labour on 15 MSPs. The study put the Lib Dems on 10 seats, doubling their result in 2021 - with the Scottish Tories languishing on just nine representatives.
Asked by The Scotsman about the poll, a defiant Mr Sarwar said: “If I believed every pollster then the Labour party wouldn’t have survived in 2021.
“We’ve proven them all wrong before and I’m telling you we’re going to prove them all wrong again in ten weeks’ time by winning the election in Scotland.
In his keynote speech as he attempted to rouse around 500 Labour activists ahead of the election, Mr Sarwar told Scots to “underestimate me at your peril”.
He told the conference that May’s election poses “a straight choice between me and John Swinney” and “a straight choice between change and decline”.
In a direct attack on Reform, Mr Sarwar argued Nigel Farage’s party “don’t give a damn about Scotland”.
He added: “With the defections of Robert Jenrick, Nadhim Zahari and Suella Braverman, it’s clear that Reform are just Tories in disguise.
“The same people who screwed the country before and who now want to screw it again. Scotland rejected them before and I know Scotland will reject them again.
“Reform cannot win in Scotland and Reform cannot beat the SNP. In fact, a vote for Reform just lets the SNP cling on to power - stopping change.”
In a candid and blunt pitch, Mr Sarwar admitted he can “sense people’s frustration” and “gets people’s anger”.
He added: “But I am saying to you: let’s focus on the task at hand right now because this is our best chance, perhaps our only chance, to end SNP rule.
‘Hold your nose and vote Labour’
“So, whether you do it with enthusiasm, whether you do it with anger or if you do it by holding your nose, let’s come together and back the only party that can get rid of this incompetent SNP government that deserves to lose.”
Asked by The Scotsman if his decision to call for Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign had been vindicated by the by-election defeat, Mr Sarwar said: “I’ve stated my position.”
He added: “My focus in the next 10 weeks is to make sure we change the first minister.
“You’re right to suggest that there’s a deep unpopularity with the UK Labour government. But there’s a clear majority in Scotland that want the SNP out of office. The only people that can remove the SNP from office is me and Scottish Labour.
“So I’m saying directly to people - if you want to get rid of the SNP, then whether you do it with enthusiasm, whether you do it with anger and whether you hold your nose and do it, you have to back Scottish Labour and you have to vote for me - because only I can remove them from office. That’s a direct plea to people across the country.”
READ MORE: Revealed: How Scottish Labour hopes it can turn tables on SNP and snatch power in Holyrood election
Asked by journalists about the by-election defeat, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said it was “a tough and disappointing night for Labour.
He added: “We'll take time to reflect on the lessons of this by-election, but my own sense is that it speaks to a deep sense of frustration amongst voters towards governing parties and we need to move further and faster to deliver the change people want to see.”
Asked if the Prime Minister should remain in office, Mr Alexander said: “Yes, Keir Starmer has my support and I think we have a collective responsibility across government to deliver the changes that people voted for in July 2024.”
‘Everywhere he looks there are dangers’
But polling expert Mark Diffley, founder and director of The Diffley Partnership, told The Scotsman that turning things around will be “really hard” for Mr Sarwar, with his plea coming with “a hint of desperation”.
Mr Diffley added: “The truth is that the polls haven’t really moved in the last six to nine months and any movement that there has been has actually been away from Labour rather than towards anything.
“That growing sense of desperation is one of the major reasons why he threw the grenade into the campaign a few weeks ago with his call for the Prime Minister to resign. The Prime Minister’s unpopularity has a major drag factor on his chances of winning in May.”
Mr Diffley said that “In many constituencies across the Central Belt” it looks like a “straight fight between Labour and the SNP”, as framed by Mr Sarwar.
He pointed to the by-election and polling putting Mr Sarwar’s party in fourth place, warning that “everywhere he looks, there are dangers and dangers of a different nature”.
Mr Diffley said: “The Labour vote has fractured off in so many different directions that bringing it back together in such a short period of time is a really tough thing to do.
“There is still time. He is relentlessly optimistic and energetic, which is absolutely what they need. There are still people who haven’t thought about the election.
“At the same time, polling is pretty emphatic and they are so far behind at this point that it looks a very tough task.”
Sarwar refuses to be drawn on quit questions
Asked if he will quit if he leads Scottish Labour into defeat for the second straight Holyrood election, Mr Sarwar said: “I don’t do hypotheticals.”
In his speech, Mr Sarwar argued a Scottish Labour government would oversee the “biggest housebuilding revolution in the history of devolution” with a vow to deliver 125,000 new homes over the next five years.
But Scottish Labour’s flagship housing policy includes just 52,300 affordable homes. The SNP government has committed to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 - but is off track in delivering the promise.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader, Rachael Hamilton, said: “Anas Sarwar is simply too weak to take on this failing SNP government.
“Scandal-ridden Labour are too busy fighting themselves and continue to agree with the nationalists on so much.
“He has even reached the point where he’s pleading with Scots to hold their nose to vote for them, hoping they haven’t noticed the chaos engulfing his party.”
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