‘Hold your nose’ and vote Labour, Anas Sarwar says

Anas Sarwar has made an appeal to would-be Reform voters to back Scottish Labour, saying only his party can remove the SNP from power.

The Scottish Labour leader also encouraged those who support Scottish independence to vote for his party to “make Scotland better right now”.

Speaking at a one-day conference in Paisley, Sarwar reinforced his message that May’s election was about choosing a government for Scotland, “not a protest” against Westminster.

He said: “That is why I say to people who disagree with me on independence, let’s work together to make Scotland better right now. The SNP have had their chance, and they have lost their way.

“And I say to those who are scunnered by how broken everything feels and are tempted by Reform: Reform cannot win in Scotland and Reform cannot beat the SNP. In fact, a vote for Reform just lets the SNP cling on to power – stopping change.”

With 10 weeks to go until the Scottish Parliament election, his party remains a significant distance behind the SNP according to most polls.

The most recent spate has also put his party third behind Reform, which is expected to make a major breakthrough.

Many in the Scottish party blame the Labour UK Government for their poor performance, with support having fallen significantly since the 2024 general election.

Earlier this month, Sarwar sought to distance himself from the UK Labour record by calling on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister.

But Sarwar has continued to claim his party could still win the Scottish election and that he could still be first minister come May.

Appealing to voters across the political spectrum, he said: “Whether you do it with enthusiasm, whether you do it with anger, or if you do it by holding your nose, let’s come together and back the only party that can get rid of this incompetent SNP government that deserves to lose.”

He also hit out at Reform, saying it was made up of “the same people who screwed the country before” – a reference to a series of defections from the Conservatives.

The Labour leader went on the outline some policy pledges, including so-called golden handcuffs for people who train as medics in Scotland. Such plans would see those who benefit from free tuition forced to work in Scotland for five years or repay fees.

He also said his party would build 125,000 new homes within five years, cut the number of public bodies by a third, and ensure every community has a named police officer.