Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has reversed his position and now says Prime Minister Keir Starmer is welcome to campaign for the party in May's Holyrood elections, just days after calling for him to resign. Sarwar stated that Starmer and other cabinet ministers can support Scottish Labour's faltering campaign, but only if they demonstrate how the UK government is improving lives in Scotland.
Sarwar caused uproar on Monday by demanding Starmer quit, and earlier in January suggested the prime minister and his colleagues should “stay behind their doors” in London due to the UK government's deep unpopularity. However, pressed by reporters at Holyrood on Wednesday, Sarwar said: “The prime minister, and other ministers of course, if they want to come to Scotland and demonstrate that they’re delivering for Scotland by being a UK Labour government, that’s welcome.” He emphasised that he is leading the campaign and his name is on the ballot paper, not Starmer's.
The abrupt about-face, just 48 hours after calling for Starmer's resignation, has fuelled suspicions that Sarwar is backing down after failing to secure significant support from Labour MPs or UK ministers. Most of Labour's 20 MSPs endorsed Sarwar's stance, but few MPs did. One Scottish MP described the intervention as “incredibly high risk and pretty foolish,” warning it could worsen Labour's electoral chances.
Downing Street confirmed Starmer will campaign alongside Sarwar despite the rift. The Scotland secretary, Douglas Alexander, urged the two men to set aside their differences. When asked if he still wanted Starmer to resign, Sarwar stuck by his earlier remarks but refused to repeat them, instead welcoming Starmer's promises to change his approach. “I stated my view, I stand by that view,” Sarwar said, adding that people in Scotland deserve to know his standards and what he would do differently as first minister.
