Anas Sarwar has declared that he continues to "stand by" his earlier call for Sir Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister. The Scottish Labour leader made the remarks during a Press Association interview on Thursday, reiterating his stance from February when he urged Starmer to quit amid the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador.
Mandelson Scandal Revisited
Lord Mandelson was dismissed from his diplomatic post last year, less than twelve months into the role, after documents released by the US government revealed his connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile. The scandal, according to Sarwar, represented a critical juncture. "I have said for a long time now that the Mandelson scandal was the tipping point for me," he stated. "It’s something I stand by and don’t recoil from."
Election Focus on SNP Record
Despite his continued criticism of the UK Labour leader, Sarwar emphasised that the upcoming Holyrood election on May 7 should not be interpreted as a referendum on Starmer's government. "A vote for me and Scottish Labour in this election is not an endorsement of Keir Starmer," he insisted. "It’s also not an election that’s about judging two years of a Labour Government. It’s about passing judgment on 20 years of an SNP Government."
Sarwar framed the election as a consequential choice for Scotland, urging voters to reject both the SNP and Reform UK. "If you want to reject the poison of Reform, if you want to beat the SNP and you want change here in Scotland, there’s only one route to that change – and that’s a vote for me and Scottish Labour on May 7," he added.
Vetting Failure Controversy
This week, it emerged that Lord Mandelson was appointed to the US ambassadorship despite failing the standard vetting process. The Foreign Office has been held responsible for clearing the peer in January 2025. Sir Keir Starmer has expressed being "absolutely furious" about the oversight, describing the failure to inform him of the vetting result as "staggering." Number 10 has been approached for comment regarding the ongoing fallout.
