Keir Starmer will campaign with Anas Sarwar in Scotland ahead of Holyrood election
A No10 spokesperson said on Wednesday that Sir Keir ‘will campaign in Scotland’ before May 7
Sir Keir Starmer will campaign with Anas Sarwar in Scotland ahead of May’s Holyrood election - despite the Scottish Labour leader saying the Prime Minister should resign.
A No10 spokesperson said on Wednesday that Sir Keir “will again visit Scotland” and “will campaign in Scotland” before May 7.
Mr Sarwar became the most senior Labour figure to call for the Prime Minister to resign on Monday. But the move did not topple Sir Keir, as his Cabinet rallied round and said he had their full support.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister then said that he supports the Scottish Labour leader “100 per cent”.
When asked if the Prime Minister will visit Scotland, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “He regularly visits Scotland, as you know, speaks to you all up there.”
The spokesperson then read out Sir Keir’s comments from the day before.
When asked if the Prime Minister will be in Scotland before May 7, the spokesperson said: “We set out campaign plans in the usual way.”
When asked if he planned to visit Scotland, the spokesperson said: “We set out campaign plans in the usual way. I would never set out a campaign plan in a lobby briefing.”
When asked if Downing Street would not commit to the Prime Minister visiting Scotland before the election, the spokesperson said: “He regularly visits Scotland. He will again visit Scotland. He will campaign in Scotland. He supports Anas Sarwar.”
When asked if he will campaign alongside Mr Sarwar, the spokesperson said: “He supports him to be First Minister, yes.”
Mr Sarwar urged Sir Keir to quit as Prime Minister in a hastily arranged press conference in Glasgow on Monday afternoon.
It followed the resignation of two of Sir Keir’s key aides within 24 hours.
Mr Sarwar said: “The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
He added: “We have an SNP government that is addicted to secrecy and cover ups with devastating consequences.
“That’s why I have to be honest about failure wherever I see it. The situation in Downing Street is not good enough. There have been too many mistakes.
“They promised they were going to be different, but too much has happened. Have there been good things? Of course, there have, many of them, but no one knows them and no one can hear them because they’re being drowned out.
“That’s why it cannot continue.”
He said it had caused him “personal hurt and pain” to call for his “friend” Sir Keir to resign.
Although many Labour MSPs backed Mr Sarwar’s calls, only two Scottish Labour MPs - Brian Leishman and Euan Stainbank - have publicly said that they agree with the Scottish Labour leader.
Despite Mr Sarwar calling for his head the day before, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday: “I’ve got a huge respect for Anas Sarwar. Obviously, he made his views known yesterday.
“But I want to be really clear that I’m 100 per cent supportive of Anas Sarwar to be the First Minister in Scotland, he’d be an incredible First Minister and I support him 100 per cent without reservation.”
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