Sarwar may lose the battle, but he can still win the war |
Anas Sarwar went over the top and looked back to find his Westminster colleagues were still sitting in the trenches, doom-scrolling through X, but Andy Maciver argues that he was right to call for Keir Starmer to go.
First thing’s first: Anas Sarwar did the right thing, on Monday afternoon, when he called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister.
In his first six-or-so months in government, the performance (indeed, the very existence) of the Labour UK Government has taken this First Minister-in-waiting and turned him into an also-ran.
In the year since, Labour at Westminster has put Labour in Scotland in position to finish in third place behind Reform, with its worst result ever, and inevitably resulting in the resignation of Mr Sarwar.
The fortunes of Scottish Labour, like all Scottish arms of UK parties, are joined at the hip with those of the parent party at Westminster. Or, more accurately, Scottish Labour’s fortunes are at the mercy of UK Labour’s performance. And that performance has been woeful beyond what anyone could possibly have predicted.
Changing the name of SQA will do nothing to improve failing schools
I know what Scottish politics needs - more Lib Dems. Hear me out
Sarwar can’t escape Starmer and no amount of money will help him
The SNP can no longer be a party of poundshop pacifists
So, Mr Sarwar was right. As things stood, on Monday, he had zero chance of being First Minister, and faced the end of his own political career in May. He had nothing to lose.
He could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, I suppose. Had other Starmer-sceptics had........