Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has launched a blistering attack on First Minister John Swinney, labelling him a 'bluffer' who will be 'found out' at the upcoming Holyrood election. Sarwar drew a pointed comparison between the SNP leader and two recently departed, unpopular figures from Scottish football.
Football Figures Used as Political Metaphor
During a campaign visit to the City of Glasgow College on Wednesday 7 January 2026, Sarwar likened Swinney's position to that of Paul Tisdale and Kevin Thelwell. Tisdale left his role as head of football operations at Celtic after manager Wilfried Nancy was sacked earlier in the week, while Thelwell was dismissed as sporting director of Rangers in November.
'This is the year the bluffers are going to get found out,' Sarwar told the Press Association. 'Two bluffers have already been found out, whether it's Tisdale or Thelwell, they were found out, and the next bluffer that's going to get found out is John Swinney.'
Sarwar Frames Election as Direct Choice for First Minister
The Scottish Labour leader insisted the May election was a direct contest for the top job at Holyrood, seeking to distance the Scottish campaign from the unpopularity of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's UK Government. He argued that the best thing Starmer could do was focus on governing from Westminster.
'I'm leading this campaign – I'm our candidate for First Minister,' Sarwar stated. 'Keir Starmer is not standing to be First Minister. Rachel Reeves is not standing to be First Minister. Nigel Farage is not standing to be First Minister. There are only two people explicitly standing to be First Minister in this country: that's me and John Swinney.'
Dismissing SNP's Independence 'Mandate' and Polling Challenge
Sarwar accused Swinney of using the issue of independence as a shield to distract from his party's record in government. When asked if he would accept an SNP majority as a mandate for a second independence referendum, he flatly dismissed the premise, predicting the SNP would lose the election.
He pointed to current polling, which shows Scottish Labour in third place behind Reform UK, but remained defiant. 'The reality is if Nicola Sturgeon... couldn't win a majority, the idea that no energy, no ideas, no leadership John Swinney is going to do it is for the birds. He's a bluffer,' Sarwar concluded.
Despite acknowledging the UK Government's current unpopularity, Sarwar maintained that Starmer was doing 'a good job' on many measures, but reiterated that the Holyrood election was about Scotland's future, not Westminster.
