SNP ‘squandered’ the opportunities of devolution, declares Sarwar

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will call for change (Jane Barlow/PA)

The SNP has “squandered” the opportunities of devolution with years of incompetence, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is to declare.

In a speech on Monday to mark 25 years of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Sarwar will say “continuity will not cut it” and that “chaos and incompetence cannot be as good as it gets”.

Mr Sarwar will stress Scotland “needs a government that rises to today’s challenges, which are the biggest since the dawn of devolution”.

The speech will set out how a Scottish Labour government would strengthen devolution for the future by returning to the values which shaped the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Sarwar will call for change, and say: “There is no escaping the fact that the opportunities of devolution have been squandered by the SNP.

“Too often this Government is distracted by its narrow obsessions and internal divisions.

“Today there are more than 820,000 Scots stuck on NHS waiting lists.

“Almost 10,000 children are living in temporary accommodation with no home to call their own.

Anas Sarwar will insist only Labour can deliver the change Scotland needs (PA)

“Our once great education system has plummeted down the international league tables.”

He will insist that “after so many years of SNP mismanagement, we can’t just have more of the same”.

Scotland needs “credible and effective leadership”, he will say as he insists Labour offers the opportunity to change the country.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: “The new First Minister has made the clear offer to listen to all good ideas.

“Instead of grabbing that opportunity to actually do so, Mr Sarwar is indulging in yet more criticism from the sidelines.

“Over 100,000 children lifted out of poverty this year, the massive expansion in childcare, free university tuition fees, allowing record numbers of young people from deprived areas to go university, 126,000 affordable homes, upgrades to the M8, M73, M74 and the Queensferry Crossing delivered.

“All of these have been achieved, and more, by the SNP while the average Band D household pays £780 a year less in council tax than in England.

“We know Labour wants to reintroduce university tuition fees, but given this criticism from Mr Sarwar, the question he faces now is whether he wants to row back on all the other achievements too.”