Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has sidestepped questions about whether his own position could be threatened if the Labour Party performs poorly in May's crucial Scottish Parliament election.
Poll Shock Puts Labour in Fight for Second
Sir Keir's visit to Scotland on Thursday 15 January 2026 coincided with the release of the first opinion poll of the year, which delivered sobering news for Labour. The survey suggests the party is locked in a struggle with Reform UK for second place in the upcoming Holyrood contest. The poll indicates John Swinney's SNP is on track for a fifth consecutive term in government.
Pressed by journalists on whether his job as Prime Minister and Labour leader would be on the line if the party struggles in Scotland, Sir Keir repeatedly declined to answer directly. Instead, he stated: "My job is to deliver for Scotland." When challenged further on whether he was personally putting off Scottish voters, he gave the same response.
Starmer Frames Election as Choice for Scotland's Future
Speaking during a visit to Perth, the Prime Minister sought to reframe the May election, insisting it was not a referendum on his Westminster government's performance. "The election in May is not an election about who is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – it is about who should be first minister of Scotland," he declared.
He argued that after 19 years of SNP administration, Scotland's public services were failing. "Scotland has a health service where there’s too many people on the waiting list, and education and public services which are on their knees," Sir Keir said. He questioned how the Scottish Government had spent the "record amount of money" awarded from the UK's last budget, directly asking: "Where has the money gone, John?"
The Prime Minister urged voters to back Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar for change, claiming a "wall of money" was ready for investment in Scotland, particularly in new nuclear energy, which the SNP opposes on ideological grounds.
Farage Declares Two-Horse Race as Tories and Labour Falter
Meanwhile, Reform UK's Nigel Farage, who was also campaigning in Scotland alongside the party's new Scottish leader, former Tory minister Malcolm Offord, presented a very different narrative. He insisted the election is becoming a "two-horse race" between Reform and the SNP.
"A huge chunk of the Scottish electorate are looking for something different, they’re tired of the decline this country has seen under SNP Government," Mr Farage stated. He argued that Reform would be seen as the main opposition to the nationalists because both Labour and the Conservatives had failed to effectively challenge the SNP's record.
Confident of a surge, Mr Farage added: "I think we could even surprise ourselves with just how many votes we manage to garner in this election." His comments underscore the significant political realignment underway, as Labour fights to regain its former Scottish strongholds not just from the SNP, but from a resurgent right-wing challenger.
