Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has promised that Scotland will be at the heart of the next UK government if Labour wins the general election. Speaking at the party's conference, he criticised both the SNP and the Conservatives, describing them as the 'very best of frenemies' who use each other to cover their failures.
Sarwar highlighted Labour's recent by-election victories in Kingswood and Wellingborough, where the party overturned large Conservative majorities. He attacked the Tories' economic record, noting the UK is in recession, and their plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. He also condemned the SNP's relationship with local authorities, citing cuts to services to fund an unexpected council tax freeze.
Sarwar pledged to fund 160,000 new NHS appointments annually in Scotland by scrapping the non-dom tax status, raising an estimated £134m. He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, a position differing from Sir Keir Starmer's call for a 'sustainable' end to fighting, though Sarwar claimed they ultimately share the same stance.
The speech comes amid Labour's suspension of two parliamentary candidates over comments about Gaza, and Sir Keir's scaling back of the £28bn green investment pledge, citing economic constraints. Sarwar insisted the green plan remains a centrepiece of Labour's growth strategy.
Concluding, Sarwar described the next election as the most important in a generation, an opportunity to 'reject the politics of division and despair' and to 'restore integrity, trust, and hope in our politics'. He urged voters to elect a Labour government that will put Scotland at its heart.
