Anas Sarwar set to step down as Scottish Labour leader to become Burnham minister

Anas Sarwar is set to step down as Scottish Labour leader to be a minister in Andy Burnham’s Government, STV News understands.

The Scottish Labour leader called for Sir Keir Starmer to step down as prime minister in February.

He then hailed successor Mr Burnham for his “bold Labour vision” as he entered No 10 this week.

Former Greater Manchester mayor Mr Burnham appointed his Cabinet on Monday after taking office, but a raft of ministerial appointments are still to come.

Mr Sarwar has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021 and previously said he planned to stay in his post after Sir Keir’s resignation in June.

The SNP said it would be a “terrible look” to appoint Mr Sarwar.

The party’s deputy leader Keith Brown MSP said: “This is a terrible look for Andy Burnham who waxed lyrical about a new politics and devolving power – he’s just pulled the most undemocratic trick in the Westminster book.

“Anas Sarwar led Scottish Labour to their worst ever election defeat, but as is always the case with the Labour Party, there’s always a cushty number in the House of Lords.”

Reform UK Scotland Deputy Leader and MSP for Glasgow Thomas Kerr MSP said: “Only weeks ago, Anas Sarwar stood before the people of Glasgow asking for their trust and insisting that his future was here in Scotland. Today, those same voters will rightly feel betrayed.

“Throughout the election campaign, he dismissed suggestions that he had ambitions elsewhere and claimed his focus was on serving Scotland. Now, at the first opportunity, he has walked away from the very people who placed their faith in him.

“Whether this was his choice or the consequence of Labour’s disastrous election performance, the outcome is the same: Glasgow has been denied the leadership it was promised.

“This is yet another example of Labour abandoning Glasgow when it becomes politically convenient. The people of this city deserve representatives who will stand and fight for them, not politicians who treat public office as a stepping stone to their next job.”