Anas Sarwar is to step down as Scottish Labour leader and become a minister in Andy Burnham’s government. The Glasgow MSP will quit Holyrood and become a member of the House of Lords.
Leadership and election aftermath
Sarwar led Scottish Labour to the party’s worst result since devolution just over two months ago. The move comes more than five years after he took over the leadership of the party north of the border in February 2021.
When he quits the Scottish Parliament, former MSP Monica Lennon – who he defeated in that leadership contest – will return, taking up the place at Holyrood as a result of the regional list system.
Previous statements and contradictions
The move to the Lords comes after Sarwar insisted he would not join the upper chamber if Labour were to lose the Holyrood election in May. Asked about such a prospect, Sarwar said he was “focused on being first minister of this great country”.
It also comes less than six months after he called for Sir Keir Starmer to quit as prime minister, making the plea back in February when he complained there had been “too many mistakes” by the government at Westminster. With Sir Keir now out of government, Sarwar hailed “the bold Labour vision from the new Prime Minister”. Posting on social media on Monday, he added: “Let’s get to work.”
Impact on Scottish Labour
In his five years in the role, Sarwar had worked to transform his party, and in the Scottish election sought to oust John Swinney and the SNP from power at Holyrood. However Labour ended up with 17 MSPs, the lowest number the party has had since the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999 – with Sarwar conceding they “didn’t win the argument” in the election.
He was first elected to Holyrood just over a decade ago in May 2016, representing the Glasgow region. That came after he lost his seat at Westminster in 2015, when a landslide victory for the SNP saw them take all but three of the seats north of the border in the general election.
With Sarwar stepping down as Scottish Labour leader, Jackie Baillie, the party’s current Scottish deputy leader, will serve as interim leader until a replacement is found.
