Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has called on Keir Starmer to stand down, plunging the prime minister's leadership into serious peril. At a hastily arranged press conference in Glasgow, Sarwar declared: “The distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
Sarwar said there had been “too many mistakes” by No 10 since Starmer came to power and that while the prime minister was a “decent man”, he was undermining Labour’s ability to win the Scottish parliament elections in May. Recent opinion polls show Labour trailing in third place behind the Scottish National Party and Reform, with the SNP’s John Swinney appearing on course to remain in Bute House.
The Scottish party leader is said to be furious that UK government decisions have severely damaged support for Scottish Labour. He calculated it would be impossible for Starmer to recover after the scandal over Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein and the resignation of Starmer's closest adviser, Morgan McSweeney.
Sarwar revealed he had told the prime minister earlier in the day of his intention to call for his resignation and that “it’s fair to say, we didn’t agree”. He stressed his priority was Scotland, saying, “That is my duty, that is my priority, that is my loyalty, and that is Scotland’s choice.”
Cabinet ministers including David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, and John Healey rallied round the prime minister, though some support was muted. Wes Streeting said Starmer “doesn’t need to resign”. Meanwhile, sources close to Eluned Morgan denied she would add her voice to the calls, and some Scottish Labour MPs said Sarwar did not speak for them all.
