Scottish Labour leadership contenders Monica Lennon, Joe Fagan and Michael Marra warned against internal feuds and briefings at their first party hustings in Glasgow following a crushing electoral defeat.
Anas Sarwar has resigned as Scottish Labour leader to become a peer and minister in Andy Burnham's UK government, drawing strong criticism from SNP and Scottish Greens for alleged hypocrisy and lying to voters, while surprising many within his own party.
Anas Sarwar's appointment to Andy Burnham's government, alongside other former critics of Sir Keir Starmer, underscores the internal divisions and lingering resentments within the Labour Party following Starmer's resignation.
Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, is expected to resign his Holyrood seat and leadership to become a business minister in Andy Burnham's new UK government, despite previous pledges to remain in Scotland. The move has surprised Scottish Labour parliamentarians and drawn strong criticism from opposition parties.
Scottish Labour leader says he aims to hold SNP to account after his party tied for second with Reform in electionsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has warned other Scottish political leaders not to spend the next Holyrood parliament “shouting about Nigel Farage”, saying his job is to ensure there is a credible opposition at Holyrood “that holds the SNP’s feet to the fire”.While the Scottish National party won a fifth successive Holyrood victory and ended up with 58 MSPs, Labour had its worst result since devolution in 1999, tying for second place with Reform UK as both parties secured 17 MSPs. Continue reading...
Public frustration gave the SNP a muted victory, while Labour tied with Reform for second and the Greens claimed a ‘seismic’ resultLong before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street.When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottish National party, playing a significant part in Keir Starmer’s landslide victory. Continue reading...
Amid public apathy and frustration, Labour and Reform tie for second behind the SNP, while Greens claim ‘seismic’ fourth placeLong before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street.When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottish National party, playing a significant part in Keir Starmer’s landslide victory. Continue reading...
Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beatenElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesJohn Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has challenged Keir Starmer to show “greater respect” to the Scottish government after winning the Holyrood elections by a comfortable margin.The Scottish National party secured a record fifth term in office on Friday after securing at least 57 of Holyrood’s 129 seats, with Labour and Reform vying for a distant second place. Continue reading...
Senior Labour MPs urge prime minister to step down within year as party suffers loss of hundreds of English council seats and humbling in WalesElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKeir Starmer is under pressure to set out a timeline for his departure after a crushing defeat in elections across Britain prompted senior Labour MPs to call for him to step down within a year.In a disastrous set of results, Labour lost hundreds of council seats in England, many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made big gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the South.Nigel Farage said a “truly historic shift in British politics” had occurred after Reform UK won hundreds of seats and control of more councils in England. The gains included Essex where the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, has her constituency and which the Conservatives held for 25 years.Plaid Cymru became the largest party in Wales, beating Reform into second place, after Labour admitted it was on course to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since devolution. Morgan, the first woman to lead the Welsh government, became the highest-profile casualty and called on Labour to “go back to being the party of the working class”.The SNP leader, John Swinney, declared victory in the Holyrood elections – though was expected to fall short of an outright majority. The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, conceded defeat saying his party had failed to counter “national dissatisfaction” with Starmer.The Greens gained their first two directly elected mayors – in Hackney and Lewisham – although they missed out on some more ambitious targets in London, as their leader, Zack Polanski, declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried”. They also won three councils: Norwich, Hastings and Waltham Forest.The Tories were on course to lose hundreds of seats – both to Reform and the Liberal Democrats – across the south of England. However, they won back the flagship Westminster council in central London, with Badenoch announcing it meant the party was “coming back”.Labour appeared to be struggling in its London stronghold, despite early indications that its vote was holding up, unexpectedly losing control of Brent. Party insiders were closely watching councils including Lambeth, Lewisham and Haringey. Continue reading...
Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beatenJohn Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has declared victory in the Holyrood elections after only a handful of results confirmed Labour had been comprehensively beaten.Speaking to the BBC after holding his own seat of Perthshire North, Swinney said he was “absolutely certain the SNP is going to be the leading party coming out of this election”. Continue reading...
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar insists polls showing his party at 20% are wrong and predicts a surprise result in the May 7 Holyrood election. With postal voting underway, Sarwar claims undecided voters are shifting to Labour. The party has spent its largest campaign sum ever targeting voters via social media and sophisticated data analysis. However, Reform UK is expected to win 10+ seats and could play a pivotal role in the first minister vote. Sarwar is embroiled in controversy after Reform's Malcolm Offord alleged a secret deal discussion, which Sarwar denies, while criticizing SNP leader John Swinney for amplifying the allegations rather than condemning Reform's racist elements.
Sir Keir Starmer visited the Faslane nuclear base for two-and-a-half hours on Saturday - his first trip to Scotland since Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for his resignation in February. Starmer did not meet Sarwar or any Scottish Labour colleagues during the campaign. Political rivals including First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay criticized the visit, with Findlay accusing Starmer of 'skulking' and being 'unable to look Sarwar in the eyes'. The visit comes amid controversy over Peter Mandelson's failed security vetting.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has appealed to voters to give his party five years to "fix the Scottish National party’s mess," pledging tax cuts, more homes, and a smaller public sector in a bid to reverse declining support ahead of the May 7 Holyrood election.
