Anas Sarwar has promised to end the “culture of secrecy and obscurity” in Scotland’s institutions when he becomes first minister, ending nearly two decades of SNP rule.
In an interview with the Sunday Mail ahead of this week’s party conference, the Scottish Labor leader criticized nationalists for their WhatsApp deletions over coronavirus, their handling of the Michael Matheson iPad scandal and their treatment of families. .
He said the SNP was no longer fit to be in government because of its treatment of people seeking justice for their relatives and their promise of reforms.
Sarwar, who has been party leader for three years, will have to wait until the next Holyrood election in 2026 to achieve his goal of taking power in Scotland.
But he believes it will help if national leader Keir Starmer becomes prime minister in this year’s general election. “Right now we have a culture of secrecy and concealment,” he said.
“The SNP believes that politics is about playing games, misleading journalists and not telling the truth to the public. It is not about protecting victims, families and public services, it is about reputations, institutions and It’s all about protecting the political party.
“There are examples of how we are dealing with coronavirus families, including the deletion of evidence. How we are treating island communities by destroying information about decisions about ferries.
“In the harshest of circumstances, it means lying to families who have lost a loved one. We will stand with the victims and their families 100 percent. We will not only support government agencies but also the law. We will stand by the victims and help them get answers.”
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Sarwar pointed to Kimberly Darroch, who has been fighting for answers ever since her 10-year-old daughter Millie Mayne died at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2017.
In November, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was formally named as a suspect in the corporate murder investigation into Millie’s death, the first time this step had been taken in the UK.
Sarwar said: “Kimberly Darroch is one of the bravest people I’ve ever met in her life. That woman has a lot of conflict inside her.
“Now that the first police investigation into corporate murder has taken place here in Scotland, she is inching closer to justice, but if she had a government on her side it would have broken down barriers and given her answers. Can you imagine if you helped me get it?”
“Instead, we have a government that is putting up obstacles every step of the way, twisting things and trying to protect those who have lied to her. That in itself perfectly sums up why we need change in Scotland. Masu.
“If the government is so corrupt that it can’t even stand by someone like Kimberly Darroch, then they don’t deserve to be in government.”
Mr Sarwar is confident Labor will win the general election, but insists the path to Downing Street must pass through Scotland. Mr Starmer has long said he believes securing the trust of Scottish voters is key to changing the course of the party.
However, recent opinion polls suggest that while Labor could be headed for a dramatic victory in England and Wales, voters in Scotland are reluctant to cede support from Prime Minister Humza Yousaf’s SNP to Labor. It has been shown that there is.
Two such surveys released this month showed the SNP could still grab 40 of the 59 Scottish MPs, although the gap with Labor is narrowing.
Mr Sarwar said: “I still believe that poll support will continue to narrow across the UK. The Conservatives will throw absolutely everything at Labor, creating culture wars and divisiveness in an attempt to retain all power. Anyone who pretends they’re not trying to escalate doesn’t understand how elections have worked in the past.
“This election is far from a victory and we cannot be complacent or take anything for granted. Humza Yousaf wants to say Scotland doesn’t matter, but Scotland will matter. Well, that’s important because I think Scotland will be leading the way in electing a UK Labor government.
Sarwar also revealed that his wife, Farheen, cried to sleep because of the racism the family faced in public. He previously cited Islamophobia faced by his father, Mohammed, who was Britain’s first Muslim MP.
His mother, Parveen, said she cried to sleep over the prejudice her family faced. Asked if his wife had a similar experience, he said: “She knows what she’s going through, or she knows what she’s been through.”
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