Anas Sarwar: We have to persuade Scots Labour are fit to govern

Anas Sarwar yesterday insisted Labour is taking nothing for granted despite a decisively defeating the Tories in a by-election.

The leader of Scottish Labour insisted victory at the next general election was not a “done deal” and the party would not give in to complacency despite securing a 10% swing in the West Lancashire poll.

It was Labour’s third by-election victory since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October with many opinion polls and commentators suggesting it will almost certainly record its first general election victory in 13 years.

Scottish Labour leader Sarwar said: “The message from West Lancashire is that Labour can win the next general election, that we can get rid of the Tories.

“The challenge we have here in Scotland is demonstrating that Scotland can lead the way in making that change.

“We’re not complacent for a moment. I don’t think the next general election is a done deal. People want the Tories out of government and we now have to persuade them the Labour can be that government for positive reasons and what that’s going to mean for people’s lives.”

A report by the Scottish Fabians last year suggested Labour could win up to 24 Scottish seats if it focused on persuading SNP and Green voters that the fastest route to a changed and reformed UK is through a Labour government in Westminster.

The SNP will decide at a special conference next month on Nicola Sturgeon’s strategy of making the next Westminster general election a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.

Sarwar said: “At the moment all I can see is an SNP fighting itself. This is a political party that has been ran by command and control by Nicola Sturgeon and her allies for the last 15 years. I think that command and control is now starting to crumble. This has become a personal project rather than a project that’s about the people of Scotland.”

Scottish Labour begins its spring conference in Edinburgh on Friday.

Sarwar said: “One of the two big areas we’re going to focus on is an economic growth plan for Scotland. What we do around our green revolution is going be a big part of that.

“The reform of our national health service and workforce planning for the future is also going be a huge feature of conference.

“We need to get our economy back on track, confront the cost of living crisis and save our national health service from NHS failure and build it fit for the future.”