Scottish Labour leader accuses First Minister of trying to ‘defraud’ voters and deflect blame onto Farage
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has declared that voters in Scotland face a “simple choice” at the 2026 Holyrood election — between himself and First Minister John Swinney. Speaking in Glasgow, Sarwar launched a blistering attack on the SNP leader, accusing him of “trying to defraud the people of Scotland” and using Nigel Farage as a distraction from his party’s record in government.
In a confident pitch to voters, Sarwar rejected comparisons to the UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, insisting that he would be his own man in Scotland. “I’ll be Anas Sarwar 1.0,” he told reporters from the PA news agency. “And I’ll be the change from John Swinney and the SNP.”
Sarwar’s comments come amid a shifting political landscape in Scotland, with Labour buoyed by its success in July’s general election, returning 37 MPs north of the border. But with the SNP still dominant at Holyrood, Labour faces a stern challenge in breaking their near two-decade grip on the Scottish Parliament.
In his speech, Sarwar positioned his party as the only credible alternative to what he described as “a tired and complacent SNP government.” He said: “The SNP has run out of ideas. They’ve had their chance. Now it’s time for a new direction. The people of Scotland deserve better than a third decade of SNP rule.”
Laying out the themes of Labour’s campaign for the 2026 election, Sarwar said the contest would come down to clear choices: “The NHS in decline with them or fixed with Labour. Education standards falling with them or a new direction with Labour. Streets where people feel unsafe under the SNP or safe communities under Scottish Labour.”
He also accused the SNP of squandering public money and failing to deliver value for taxpayers. “They have an addiction to wasting people’s money — billions lost under SNP mismanagement. With Labour, there will be respect for public funds and a focus on what matters to working people.”
Sarwar’s sharpest attack, however, was reserved for First Minister Swinney’s recent comments on Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Last week, Swinney warned that Farage becoming Prime Minister was a “real possibility” and highlighted the threat posed by what he described as a far-right movement.
But Sarwar was scathing in his response, accusing Swinney of using Farage as a “bogeyman” to divert attention from his own government’s failures. “Instead of dealing with the SNP’s own record, John Swinney will recklessly talk up Nigel Farage. Farage is John Swinney’s new power tool to replace the Tories. But the truth is, I don’t care about Nigel Farage — and Nigel Farage doesn’t care about Scotland.”
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He added: “John Swinney will talk about anything apart from his record. Well, I want to deliver for the people of Scotland, and with his shameful tactics, John wants to defraud the people of Scotland. But the people of Scotland know better.”
In a closing appeal, Sarwar stressed the importance of the upcoming Holyrood contest. “Next year is the most consequential election in the history of devolution,” he said. “It’s about whether Scotland moves forward with ambition and fairness, or stays stuck under an SNP government that’s long past its sell-by date.”
An SNP spokesperson responded to the speech with characteristic scepticism: “Anas Sarwar will be whatever Keir Starmer tells him to be.”
With just over a year to go before Scots head to the polls, both parties are preparing for a fierce battle that could reshape the future of Scottish politics. Will it be continuity under Swinney, or change with Sarwar? The answer now lies with the electorate.
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