Labour has a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to govern both at Holyrood and Westminster, according to Pat McFadden, the architect behind the party’s 2024 general election campaign.
Mr McFadden, who co-ordinated Labour’s landslide victory in the UK general election last summer, highlighted the potential benefits of having Labour governments in both Edinburgh and London, working in tandem to address key issues facing Scotland.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Friday, Mr McFadden, a close ally of Sir Keir Starmer, said:
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity here to have a government in Scotland and a government in the UK trying to address the same sort of problems.”
He suggested that a Labour-led administration in Scotland, under Anas Sarwar, could cooperate closely with the UK Government to deliver better public services and tackle long-standing challenges such as NHS waiting times, education standards, and urban renewal.
“People want more, and they are right to want more,” he added. “If Labour wins the 2026 Scottish election, it would create a powerful shared agenda and an opportunity to transform Scotland for the better.”
Labour eyes a return to power in scotland
Labour has not governed Scotland since 2007, but with support for the SNP declining and voters increasingly frustrated with the state of public services, the party sees a realistic path to power in Holyrood in 2026.
McFadden emphasised that a Labour government in Edinburgh could work collaboratively with Westminster, something he believes has been missing for two decades.
“A partnership between Scotland and the UK that hasn’t been there for a couple of decades could bring real change,” he said.
Scottish labour: ‘Time for a generational change’
Labour MSP Paul O’Kane echoed McFadden’s message, describing a potential Labour victory in Scotland as a “generational moment” that could transform the country’s future.
“We will prosecute the case against the SNP for their record on public services,” he said, criticising the SNP’s handling of the NHS, education, and local government funding.
However, O’Kane also stressed that Labour cannot simply attack the SNP—the party must offer voters a compelling vision of hope and change.
“We have to show we can be a reforming government that can change these things,” he explained.
He believes that public services—particularly the NHS—will be central to the 2026 election, as voters increasingly worry about the state of healthcare in Scotland.
“It’s about hope, and about an agenda of change. We have to offer that change,” he said.
The road to Holyrood: Labour faces a tough challenge
While Labour is optimistic about its chances in 2026, the party is not underestimating the challenge ahead.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks, speaking at another fringe event, warned that Labour’s path to power in Scotland will not be easy.
“The 2026 Holyrood election was always going to be difficult,” he said. “Let’s not pretend that because we won a landslide last year, we’re just going to walk into Bute House.”
Shanks acknowledged that Scotland’s electoral system, which combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation, makes it harder for one party to secure an outright majority.
However, he argued that Labour has begun the process of winning back trust in Scotland and must now build on that momentum.
“What we have started to do is demonstrate that change is possible,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but we are putting in place the building blocks to build a better country.”
“The message is clear: we started the job at a UK level. Now, we need to get on and finish the job at a Scottish level.”
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‘A third decade of managed decline’ under the SNP?
Shanks warned that if Labour fails to win power in 2026, Scotland could face another decade of SNP rule, which he described as a period of “managed decline”.
“It’s either that or a third decade of managed decline under the SNP,” he said.
With public dissatisfaction with the SNP growing, particularly over issues such as healthcare, education, and transport, Labour sees an opportunity to present itself as the party of competent governance and renewal.
Conclusion
Labour believes it has a historic chance to return to power in Scotland, ending nearly two decades of SNP dominance at Holyrood.
With a Labour-led UK Government under Keir Starmer and the possibility of a Labour-led Scottish Government under Anas Sarwar, the party argues that it could deliver real change for Scotland in ways that have not been possible for decades.
However, as both McFadden and Shanks have cautioned, winning in 2026 will not be straightforward. Labour must convince voters that it not only has solutions to Scotland’s problems but also that it is capable of delivering the change they seek.
The battle for Holyrood 2026 has already begun—and Labour is determined to make the most of what it sees as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
