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by Chris Marshall
22 April 2025
Anas Sarwar: SNP failure has fanned the flames of division

Anas Sarwar is among the leaders who will attend the cross-party summit | Alamy

Anas Sarwar: SNP failure has fanned the flames of division

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has accused the SNP of creating a more divided Scotland ahead of a cross-party summit to address the rise of the far-right.

Sarwar said the party’s failure to run public services effectively had undermined public trust and “acted as a recruiting sergeant” for Reform UK.

The Labour leader will join other party leaders tomorrow at a summit called by First Minister John Swinney.

Swinney first proposed the idea during a press conference at Bute House in February during which he described Reform as “far-right” and called the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, an “accomplice to the Russian agenda”.

Speaking at the weekend, the first minister defended his decision not to invite Reform – which denies being far-right – to the cross-party summit. The party said the meeting was “anti-democratic” and an attempt to curb its growing electoral appeal. The Scottish Conservatives, who are not attending the meeting, last week described it as a “talking shop”.

Sarwar said those taking part could not allow it to “look like the Scottish establishment talking to itself”.

He said: “Those that helped fan the flames of divisive politics – a failing SNP government – cannot pretend to be the ones to lead the fight against it.

“After nearly two decades, the SNP’s failures and deflection has left many Scots politically disenfranchised and believing that politics does not work for them.

“The uncomfortable truth is that the failure of the SNP to provide the public services people rely on and live up to the hopes people put in them has acted as a recruiting sergeant for the rise of divisive politics.”

Recent polls have suggested Reform could end up with around 13 MSPs following next year’s elections to the Scottish Parliament. The party does not currently have any MSPs.

And a survey published by Ipsos last month found that while many Scots are unhappy with the state of public services under the SNP, most did not believe Labour would do a better job. Despite complaints about the condition of the NHS, just 22 per cent of those polled said Labour would be more effective at running the health service.

The same poll found both Sarwar and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s favourability ratings were at their the lowest level since October 2022.

Sarwar added: “Scots don't need the politics of Nigel Farage – a man who wants to privatise the NHS and make working families pay for their medical treatment.

“John Swinney is talking Reform UK up because it’s a helpful political tool for his party, rather than taking on the issues that are pushing people towards them.

“I will engage with all concerned to tackle the rise of divisive politics but what we can't allow to happen is for this summit to look like the Scottish establishment talking to itself.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said “too many in politics” had attempted to defeat the far-right by imitating them.

He said: “Across the world, we have seen centrist politicians usher in more brutal immigration systems, water down environmental policies, and stigmatise minorities, but the result has only given more political space to the far-right.

 “You can’t beat the far-right by acting like them; legitimising their toxic rhetoric simply makes them louder and draws more media attention.

 “Mimicking the hateful and authoritarian policies of the far-right is not just a politically bad strategy, it's morally wrong. People across Scotland need real change to improve their lives in the face of a broken economic system that is entrenching inequality.”

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