Sir Keir Starmer still ‘determined’ Anas Sarwar should be Scotland’s next FM

Sir Keir Starmer is still “determined” that Anas Sarwar should be Scotland’s next first minster – despite the Scottish Labour leader yesterday calling on the Prime Minister to step down.

Claiming there have been “too many mistakes” from Sir Keir’s Labour Government in Westminster, Mr Sarwar said on Monday that the Prime Minister and the row over his appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson were a “distraction” from his bid to oust the SNP from power in May’s Holyrood elections.

However, members of the UK Cabinet rallied behind the under-fire Prime Minister – with Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander insisting on Tuesday Sir Keir will still be in Downing Street at the end of this year.

He claimed while there had been a “sincere and genuine disagreement” between the Prime Minister and the Scottish Labour leader on Monday, Sir Keir is still “determined” to see Mr Sarwar win the Scottish elections.

And despite Mr Sarwar becoming the most senior figure in the Labour Party to call on the PM to quit, he insisted there was still a “willingness to work together” between the two men.

Mr Alexander told BBC Radio Scotland’s breakfast programme that both Sir Keir and the Scottish Labour leader are “individuals who have strong and clear opinions but who do not bear grudges”.

He added: “I have spoken to the Prime Minister in the last few hours, I have spoken to Anas, and I can tell you sincerely there is a willingness to work together.”

Mr Alexander continued: “Keir Starmer was on the phone to me yesterday evening making very clear he remains determined Anas Sarwar is the first minister of Scotland after May.

“Equally, Anas is clear he has set out his position, he will work hard to take the fight to the SNP in the coming months.”

The Scottish Secretary said there had been “a sincere and genuine disagreement between the Scottish labour leader and the UK Prime Minister yesterday”.

But he insisted: “The task at hand remains the same, which is that there is a judgment to be made in just over three months time as to who we want to be the government of Scotland.

“And I will be  making the case to every voter across Scotland that Scotland deserves better than the government we’ve got just now, a failing SNP government that if it knew how to solve Scotland’s problems it would have done so in the first 19 years.”

Polls however suggest Labour far from winning May’s election could come in third place, behind both the SNP and Reform.

But Sir Keir told Monday evening’s packed meeting of MPs in the Parliamentary Labour Party he would not be quitting, insisting to them: “I’ve won every fight I’ve ever been in.”

Mr Alexander, who is also the co-chair of Scottish Labour’s election campaign, made clear that the “the Prime Minister has my support” – but also said that he believes Sir Keir “has recognised lessons have to be learned” .

The MP said: “There was, to put it mildly, an honest and genuine disagreement yesterday, followed by a full and frank airing of positions.

“But the action by yesterday evening from across the party was ‘let’s get back to work’.”

He continued: “The Prime Minister is at pains to emphasise that he is very clear he wants Anas Sarwar as first minister in May, and Anas Sarwar was very clear that he is determined to take the fight to a failing SNP government.”

Scottish Greens meanwhile have lodged a motion at Holyrood calling for Sir Keir to resign – with the party’s co-leader Ross Greer calling on Labour MSPs to back it.

Mr Greer said: “Keir Starmer has shredded the little moral authority he had left and he’s clearly lost the public.

“Labour’s MSPs know that better than anyone, they’re the ones knocking on doors and watching their vote go up in smoke.

“I’m giving those MSPs the opportunity to tell us where they stand. Are they with Anas Sarwar or Keir Starmer? If it’s Sarwar, they should back my motion and make clear that they have no confidence in the Prime Minister. “