Scottish Labour Leader Condemns Reform UK's 'Race Baiting' in Election Pledge

Scottish Labour Leader Condemns Reform UK's 'Race Baiting' in Election Pledge

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has launched a scathing attack on Reform UK, branding the party "Tories in disguise" and accusing them of engaging in "race baiting" tactics. In an exclusive interview, Sarwar accepted his party enters the upcoming Holyrood election as underdogs, but defiantly claimed Labour can still secure victory on May 7.

Sarwar's Confidence Amid Polling Challenges

Speaking ahead of the election, Sarwar acknowledged Labour's position but expressed confidence that focusing on key issues could shift momentum. "I accept that we go into the election as underdogs, but this is an election I believe that Labour can win," he stated. "The reason why I think this election Labour could win is the SNP has been in power for almost 20 years."

He emphasized that as the campaign progresses, attention will turn to Scotland's public services, potentially weakening the SNP's standing. "I'm confident over the four weeks left of the election campaign, more and more focus will be on Scotland’s NHS, our schools, our justice system, our housing system, our local councils, local authorities, what we do with Scottish taxes," Sarwar explained. "I think the more that focus goes on in this election campaign, the weaker the chances for the SNP and the stronger chances for us."

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Reform UK Under Fire for Racial Tactics

Sarwar's criticism of Reform UK intensified following the party's controversial attack ad, which suggested Sarwar would "prioritise the Pakistani community" in Scotland. He condemned this as an attempt to inject racial division into politics. "The great thing about Scotland is that Scots don't look at politicians like Reform or the message of Reform that is one of trying to bring race baiting into our politics and think these people are our saviours," Sarwar asserted.

He further linked Reform to Conservative figures, arguing they represent continuity rather than change. "Scots see right through them, because Scottish Reform leader Lord Malcolm Offord is the same guy that was the advisor to Ian Duncan Smith, the cheerleader for Margaret Thatcher, who worked in the governments of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, and now wants to pretend he's the great champion of working class communities," Sarwar said. "In effect, it's the same people that screwed the country that want the opportunity to do it again. It’s the Tories in disguise, same team, different badge."

Polling Expert Highlights Uphill Battle

Despite Sarwar's optimism, polling guru Sir John Curtice highlighted the significant challenges facing Labour. Recent YouGov MRP polling indicates the SNP is on track for a fifth term, with Labour and Conservatives potentially facing historic losses. Curtice noted that Labour's support in Scotland has declined since its 2024 Westminster election success.

"It's extremely unlikely," Curtice said regarding Sarwar's chances of becoming First Minister. "Labour's support in Scotland has essentially fallen away since its undoubted success in the Westminster election of 2024. In this world of fragmented politics, there are no popular politicians, even John Swinney, the SNP leader, his net rating is negative. It's just that it's now minus five, minus ten, which is not very negative by today's standards."

Support from Within the Party

Former Scotland Secretary Ian Murray dismissed Reform UK as a credible threat and backed Sarwar's leadership. The Edinburgh South MP pointed to Reform's campaign struggles, including candidate resignations and lack of public recognition for their Scottish leader. "Their campaign is absolutely falling apart and we've seen that in recent polling as well," Murray stated. "They've had candidates resigning within 24 hours of being selected. They have a leader in Scotland who nobody knows, they will not apologise for the racist attacks on Anas Sarwar during the Hamilton by-election last year. So I think the campaign is falling apart."

Sarwar also reiterated his earlier call for the Prime Minister to resign over the Peter Mandelson scandal, though he emphasized his focus remains on Scottish politics. "I don't recoil from it, but as I said at the time, I'm not going to be a day-to-day commentator on the occupant of Downing Street," he said. "I'm going to spend all my time and all my energy trying to change the occupant at Bute House and change the First Minister because that's what's going to impact most people's lives."