Anas Sarwar: It's over for the SNP

This last year has been one of great change in Scottish and UK politics. When I put pen to paper for last year’s Annual Review, the dust had barely settled on Labour’s stunning election victory.

Since then, the Labour government has got to work to improve the lives of the people of Scotland. The Labour government has started work on our New Deal for Working People – the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation, boosting wages, scrapping fire and rehire and tackling exploitative zero hours contracts.

We have ended the age of austerity for good by delivering huge real-terms funding increases for public services across the UK.

We have been a consistent voice for peace and de-escalation in the Middle East – standing up to the Israeli government, condemning Hamas, calling for the release of the Israeli hostages and confirming the UK will recognise the State of Palestine.

Keir Starmer has stood resolutely by the people of Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky in their fight against Russian aggression. 

And we have delivered five cuts to interest rates since the election – benefitting homeowners by taking around £1,500 pounds off people’s mortgages.

This is the change we are delivering. But the fact is that Scotland is still being held back by a tired and out of date SNP government. 

For example, while NHS waiting lists are starting to fall quickly in England under Labour, here in Scotland the NHS remains deep in crisis with targets missed on a weekly basis and almost one in six Scots stuck on waiting lists.

And while the UK Government has commissioned billions of pounds in investment for new nuclear power stations such as Sizewell C, Scotland misses out due to the ideological opposition of the Scottish Government.

And this is the crux of Scottish politics for the year ahead. The need for change and progress across Scotland and how this SNP government is standing in the way of the future.

We are now only a matter of months away from the Scottish Parliament election. And the need for change, for fresh leadership and for a new direction for Scotland could not be clearer. After 18 years of SNP rule, every single institution and public service is weaker. 

But what does the SNP want to talk about? Independence and Reform UK. Anything that they think will distract from their shocking record in power. 

Over recent months John Swinney has repeatedly talked up the threat of Reform in Scotland and across the UK. On the SNP’s watch we currently have almost one in six Scots on an NHS waiting list. Over 10,000 children stuck living in temporary accommodation and B&Bs. Our schools are in the grip of falling standards and rising violence, with the attainment gap persisting.

The councils that deliver the services people rely on have been cut to the bone. And Scottish children in crisis have been left to wait years for mental health treatment.

Nigel Farage is John Swinney’s new cover to replace the Tories. But the truth is I don’t care about Nigel Farage and Nigel Farage doesn’t care about Scotland.

The election is a choice between John Swinney or me. I want to fix our NHS, John Swinney wants to talk about Nigel Farage. I want to end the waste and respect your money, John Swinney wants to talk about Nigel Farage. I want to make sure your kids are safe in school and get the opportunities they need, John Swinney wants to talk about Nigel Farage. John Swinney wants to talk about anything else but his record, but I want to deliver for the people of Scotland.

The sad truth for John Swinney is that the people of Scotland know better. The best example of this was the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election – called following the sad passing of Christina McKelvie. 

Instead of standing on his record, John Swinney spent the campaign claiming it was a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform UK. And when Reform UK amped up their disgraceful personal attacks on me, John Swinney only doubled down on his tactic to talk them up and give their views the oxygen of publicity. 

Unfortunately for John, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse saw through his desperate electioneering and chose a new direction with Scottish Labour’s local champion Davy Russell.

Against all the odds, and to the shock of the pundits and the pollsters Scottish Labour’s message of change resonated with the people and they rejected the division and failure of the SNP and Reform. 

But this is just the start. Between now and the election, I will campaign tirelessly to give Scotland the new direction that it needs. And that starts with laying out how we will make Scotland thrive. 

With a Scottish Government that is on the side of the people, I firmly believe that Scotland’s best days lie ahead. We are a country of remarkable potential and ingenuity. We are blessed with natural resources that make us uniquely placed to deliver the green jobs of the future.

We are home to numerous world-leading and unique industries – from whisky and salmon to computer games and a burgeoning film industry. And we have world-class universities and colleges ready to equip the next generation of Scots and help our country flourish.

But to get Scotland back on track, we need new thinking, new energy and new leadership.

Because we all know how a third decade of the SNP would go. More addiction to wasting public money. Schools and hospitals in steady decline. Plenty of press releases and strategies, but no delivery. Always looking for someone else to blame, all while Scotland falls behind.

After nearly two decades of the SNP, it’s time for something different. And at this election, the only party that can beat the SNP and deliver this new direction is Scottish Labour. 

That’s why I will be putting Scottish Labour’s clear plan to get Scotland back on its feet to the people. 

A plan to fix our NHS so that it is there for all who need it. A plan to futureproof our energy future and deliver jobs by ending the ideological block to new nuclear energy. A plan to keep our children safe by clamping down on anti-social behaviour in schools, starting with banning mobile phones in classrooms. And a plan to deliver a brighter future for our young people by rewiring our skills system so young Scots are ready to succeed. A plan to get our confidence back, our energy back and to bring back hope to the people of Scotland.

That is what I offer. New leadership, new thinking, a new government and a new direction for Scotland. It’s time for change and for something different. 

In the last few weeks, we have seen just how out of steam the SNP is. First, we saw John Swinney’s desperate attempt to push the big independence button to shore up his base – only for SNP members to react with apathy.

And then we had Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes – once tipped as a future first minister and seen as the more business astute side of the Swinney/Forbes ticket – bow out of politics for good. 

It’s over for the SNP. They have no vision for Scotland, their party is in disarray and their most talented and respected politicians are heading for the hills. They are Scotland’s past. We – the Scottish Labour Party – are ready to work to deliver Scotland’s future. To fix our NHS and clear the backlogs. To end the housing crisis and deliver the jobs Scotland needs. And to turn the page on two decades of SNP decline.

Scotland needs a new direction and Scottish Labour are ready to deliver it.