Anas Sarwar calls on Scottish Labour to ‘build on’ future UK general election victory

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said his party needs to “build on” a Labour general election victory to help it return to power at Holyrood.

With Labour widely expected to form the next UK government after the election – due to take place later this year – Sarwar said this would be an opportunity for Scotland.

Labour has been out of power at Holyrood since 2007, with Sarwar saying they had been “battling through those 17 years” when the SNP have been in charge.

Speaking on the final day of the Scottish Labour Party conference in Glasgow, Sarwar said: “We have been through a lot of pain in the Scottish Labour Party, I don’t think it is any exaggeration to say that.

“It’s been 17 years where people have questioned what we believe in, have questioned our values, even questioned our identity and the love of our country.

“We have continued battling through those 17 years because we always believed that our values, Labour Party values, were central to delivering a fairer, more equal Scotland.”

Speaking about his party’s desire to “serve the Scottish people and to change their lives”, Sarwar said there was now an opportunity to “transform our country” and “get Labour back in government” in Downing Street.

But he added: “Let’s also see that as our chance to build on, to elect a Scottish Labour government here in 2026 as well.”