Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, has stated that his party is “reaching out” to independence supporters before the next general election. Labour achieved a victory in Rutherglen and Hamilton West last week, receiving twice as many votes as the Scottish National Party (SNP). Sarwar, who opposes a second independence referendum, has said that his party is not closing its doors to those who voted Yes in previous referendums. The Scottish Labour leader claimed that the win showed that independence supporters’ concerns are not exclusively constitutional, and the party is now actively targeting those voters before next year’s general election.
Sir Keir Starmer’s keynote speech to the Labour conference took place on Tuesday, the same day Sarwar made his statement. Mr. Sarwar said that he believes the win demonstrates Labour is the “party of persuasion,” despite just 37.2% of eligible voters participating. He also mentioned that he did not believe in Scottish independence and did not advocate for another independence referendum. However, he emphasised that he did not want to disregard or neglect those who voted Yes.
Mr. Sarwar also shared his ambition to create a Labour government after the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. Although the party is against independence, they support the devolution of more powers to Scotland, and Sarwar believes that sharing and unleashing power and opportunity could transform the country. Furthermore, he thinks politicians should strengthen the democratic power of local government, cities, and towns, much beyond power held only at Holyrood in Edinburgh.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was called after the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was expelled by her constituents for breaking Covid rules. Michael Shanks, Scottish Labour’s candidate, won the Westminster seat with a 20.4% swing from the SNP. First Minister Humza Yousaf described the result as “disappointing” for his party. At the SNP conference later this week, Yousaf will seek support for his independence strategy. He is proposing that the Scottish government should initiate independence negotiations with the UK government if the SNP secures the most seats in Scotland at the next general election. However, Downing Street has consistently refused to consider another independence referendum or negotiations at this time
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