UK Labour government must deliver for Scotland before 2026 election, says Sarwar

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour must have a “delivery plan for Scotland”, the party’s leader in Holyrood has said as he sets his eyes on the 2026 Scottish elections. “That delivery plan for Scotland has got to be front and centre of that change going into the next two elections.” Mr Sarwar’s party has been buoyed by the result of last week’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, which saw Labour secure more than 50% of the vote and take back a seat won by the SNP in both 2015 and 2019. Such a result would help ease Sir Keir Starmer’s passage to Downing Street, which Mr Sarwar said would in turn help Labour to become the largest party at the Holyrood elections in 2026. “There is no route to Keir Starmer being prime minister unless we make significant gains in Scotland, and there is no route to us winning the Scottish Parliament election in 2026 unless we elect a Labour government in 2024 and Keir Starmer becomes prime minister.” Mr Sarwar added he and Sir Keir were “already working on that delivery plan” while he regarded the next general election as a “staging post for 2026, not the other way round”.