Reform ‘can’t win’ Hamilton and SNP do not deserve to, Sarwar says

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said that Reform UK “can’t win” the Hamilton by-election, and the SNP does not deserve to.

In an open letter to voters in the Daily Record, the party leader rejected claims that Thursday’s vote will come down to the parties led by John Swinney and Nigel Farage, claiming Labour was in a “two-horse race” with the SNP.

The claim was made in a similar letter in the same newspaper this week, in which the First Minister said the race was a “straight contest” between his party and Reform, accusing Farage of being a “clear and present danger to our country.”

“Reform’s poison won’t win here,” the Scottish Labour leader wrote.

“The SNP deserve to lose.”

He added: “Don’t believe the spin and the nonsense of John Swinney – this by-election is a two-horse race between Scottish Labour and the SNP.”

After the June 5 vote was called following the death of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie in March, Labour and the SNP were the frontrunners, but Reform’s surge in the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse seats has propelled the party into the mix.

Accusing the SNP leader of using Reform as a “mask for his failure,” Sarwar criticised Farage’s party’s tactics.

A Facebook ad from the party showing a speech given by Sarwar encouraging more people of Pakistani origin to enter politics has been roundly criticised.

Sarwar said: “Throughout this by-election campaign, Reform have tried every dirty trick in the book to drive a wedge to divide this community – but I know you will see right through it.

“They know they can’t win – they don’t care about beating the SNP, all they care about is getting attention.

“Nigel Farage is a poisonous, pathetic, and toxic little man who doesn’t understand this community or our country.

“He and his cronies in Reform have spent thousands of pounds spreading bile, misinformation and racial slurs.

“Scotland is my home. I was born here.”

The Scottish Labour leader also touted his party’s candidate Davy Russell, who has himself been criticised for a perceived lack of appearances in the media.

Russell, he said, is the only candidate in the race who can “beat the SNP”.