Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar Launches Scathing Attack on Reform UK Ahead of Holyrood Election
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has launched a blistering verbal assault on Reform UK politicians, branding them as "unedifying people" who he hopes will be "hammered" at next month's Holyrood election. The fiery comments were made during a campaign visit to a college in Glasgow on Tuesday, intensifying an already bitter war of words between the two political factions.
War of Words Escalates Over Alleged Private Conversations
The political row erupted following a televised debate last week when Lord Malcolm Offord claimed that Mr Sarwar had approached Reform UK about potential collaboration. The Scottish Labour leader has consistently and vehemently denied these allegations, insisting he has never sought to work with the party.
During his Glasgow visit, Mr Sarwar doubled down on his criticism, accusing Reform UK of divisive tactics. "These are people who only want to divide us, who only want to create noise, when they are fighting like ferrets in a sack amongst themselves," he declared passionately.
He further argued that "the only thing Reform can do in this election campaign is help the SNP stay in power – a vote for Reform helps the SNP, I want to beat the SNP." Mr Sarwar concluded with a stark warning: "I want to change Scotland and I want Scotland to utterly reject the poison of Reform. I want Reform to get hammered in this election campaign."
Reform UK Candidate Denies Allegations and Calls for Apology
Reform UK candidate Graham Simpson has firmly denied Mr Sarwar's claims that he called the Scottish Labour leader "useless" and described a senior councillor as "a weasel." Instead, Mr Simpson asserted that he had been approached by Mr Sarwar on three separate occasions to discuss potential cooperation against the SNP.
Speaking to the Press Association on Tuesday, Mr Simpson described the escalating conflict as "all a bit daft" and expressed his disappointment. "It's bizarre and it's disappointing, and I wish he hadn't done it," he stated. "I actually wish he'd pick up the phone and apologise, and I would accept that, but I don't suppose he's going to. He seems to be doubling down on everything he's saying and it's all a bit daft."
Mr Simpson, who defected from the Conservatives to become Reform UK's only MSP in the last Holyrood session, called for a shift in focus. "This really needs to end and we need to talk about how we improve Scotland and how we make Scotland the most successful part of the United Kingdom," he urged.
Controversial Campaign Advert Resurfaces in Dispute
The political feud has also reignited controversy over a previous Reform UK campaign advertisement that was widely condemned as racist by critics. The video, used during last year's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, accused Mr Sarwar of prioritising Scotland's Pakistani community and faced severe backlash from opposition politicians.
Although senior Reform UK figures, including candidate Thomas Kerr, have suggested the advert could be redeployed, Mr Simpson expressed his disapproval. "I wasn't happy at the time, although I wasn't in Reform, I was in the Conservative Party at the time," he recalled. "What I saw, I didn't look at it in great detail, what I saw didn't look right to me and I don't like personal attacks during campaigns, which is why what Anas has been doing has been so disappointing."
As the May 7 election approaches, the acrimonious exchange between Scottish Labour and Reform UK highlights the increasingly fractious nature of Scottish politics, with both sides trading accusations and defending their positions in what has become a highly personal and public dispute.
