May election could be Labour’s ‘only chance’ to oust SNP – Anas Sarwar

The Scottish Parliament election in May could be Labour’s “only chance to end SNP rule”, Anas Sarwar said – although he admitted some voters may have to “hold their nose” to support his party.

The Scottish Labour leader insisted only he can oust the SNP’s John Swinney and replace him as first minister after May 7.

Mr Sarwar, who recently called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit as Prime Minister, accepted there is “frustration” and “anger” towards the Labour Government at Westminster.

But he said people should “focus on the task at hand right now”, with the Holyrood election 10 weeks away.

Scottish Labour’s conference in Paisley came as a new poll put the party in fourth place in the race for Holyrood, behind the SNP, Reform and the Scottish Greens.

But Mr Sarwar told his political rivals: “Underestimate me at your peril.”

He told the conference: “This is our best chance, perhaps our only chance, to end SNP rule.”

He went on to urge voters to back his party, either “with enthusiasm”, “with anger” or “by holding your nose”.

He said voters should “come together and back the only party that can get rid of this incompetent SNP Government that deserves to lose”.

While many voters are disillusioned with the UK Labour Government, Mr Sarwar made clear the Holyrood election is “not a protest”.

He said: “It is not about Westminster or about pollsters or commentator chatter.

“It is about who runs Scotland and what they will do with that immense honour of serving Scotland’s people.”

He hit out at Reform UK – which current polls suggest could come in second place to the SNP in the election – with Mr Sarwar saying Nigel Farage and his party “don’t give a damn about Scotland”.

With politicians such as Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman having quit the Conservatives for Reform, he went on to claim Mr Farage’s party “are just Tories in disguise”.

Claiming they are “the same team with a different badge”, Mr Sarwar added: “The same people who screwed our country before who now want the chance to screw it again.”

But he declared: “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.”

If Labour wins the May 7 election in Scotland, Mr Sarwar pledged he would “fight to fix the SNP’s mess, fight to get the basics right, and fight for a better future”.

He promised a future Scottish Labour government would deliver the “biggest housebuilding revolution in the history of devolution”, committing to building 125,000 new homes over the five years of the next Scottish Parliament term, warning: “The SNP’s failure to build enough homes is holding Scotland back.”

While the current SNP Scottish Government has declared a housing emergency, Mr Sarwar said it would be a “Scottish Labour government who will get Scotland building again”.

He also promised action on the NHS, saying Labour would act to end the “scandal of poor workforce planning”.

He stressed the importance of “amazing staff” to the health service – as he announced Labour would require all those studying on funded medical, dental or nursing courses to work for a minimum of five years in either the NHS or social care.

A failure to do this would lead to people having to repay their training costs and any bursaries, Mr Sarwar said.

He announced: “When it comes to our NHS, if we pay for your training here, we will expect you to stay here.

“We will change the rules so any Scottish medical, dental or nursing student on a publicly funded place will, after graduating, be expected to work in Scotland’s NHS or social care system for at least five years, or repay their tuition support and bursaries.”