Nicola Sturgeon quitting ‘paves way for Keir Starmer to become next Prime Minister’
Labour’s revival in Scotland paves the way for Keir Starmer to stride into No10, the party’s Scottish chief has declared.
Anas Sarwar believes that Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation on Wednesday has triggered a chance for “generational change”.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Labour conference, the 39-year-old Glaswegian said: “Even before the announcement there was a vibe that Labour was a party on the rise and the SNP was a party in decline.
“Even the most sympathetic person would admit that the next leader is not going to be anywhere near the calibre, the ability, of Nicola Sturgeon.”
Father-of-three Mr Sarwar was digesting YouGov polling figures published minutes before he sat down with the Mirror.
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DAILY RECORD)
It showed Labour on 27% and the nationalists on 29%.
When he took over nearly two years ago, Labour was on 14% with the SNP above 40%.
Mr Sarwar said: “Keir and I are both aligned to the fact that there is no route to a majority Labour Government that doesn’t go through Scotland.
“The challenge we both face now though is to turn that hope of a Labour Government into a reality.
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POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“And that means setting out what change looks like, and building a coalition of the people to boot out this Tory Government.”
And former NHS dentist Mr Sarwar’s smiley nature is certainly making its mark on voters north of the border.
He said: “I’m genuinely enjoying the job – I love what I do.
“I hope people can see that I’m enjoying it, that I’m being myself and presenting what I hope is a more positive vision of the Labour Party.”
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DAILY RECORD)
Analysis by Ben Glaze
Labour is a party renewed. It regularly enjoys 20-point poll leads over the Tories and now in Scotland, almost eight years after the nationalists claimed 56 of 59 seats, there is optimism.
The cult of personality that Ms Sturgeon encouraged meant the political landscape effectively became a one-party state. The story has now changed…
With Anas Sarwar leading Labour’s Scottish fightback, the party’s Welsh bastion still secure and Starmer looking like a PM-in-waiting, the keys to No10 appear closer today than at any point in the past 13 years.