Anas Sarwar, the first senior Labour figure to call for Keir Starmer’s resignation, has quit as Scottish Labour leader to join Andy Burnham’s government – a move that has triggered accusations of hypocrisy from political rivals and left his own party reeling.
Sarwar, who in February said publicly that Starmer should stand down, will become a peer and take up a ministerial post at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, No 10 announced on Wednesday. The appointment means he will swap Holyrood for Westminster, just months after leading his party to its worst Holyrood election result in history.
“Anas Sarwar resigns as Scottish Labour leader to become a peer and minister, sparking accusations of hypocrisy from rivals.”
The Scottish Green party co-leader Gillian Mackay did not mince words. “Anas Sarwar is a chancer,” she said. “He has gone from promising to scrap the House of Lords to taking a seat in it. He has spent years attacking the very institution he is now preparing to join. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.”
The SNP piled on, with MSP George Adam accusing Labour of deception. “The Labour party and Anas Sarwar repeatedly denied and lied to the people of Scotland about Anas Sarwar’s intentions,” he said. “The fact he will now be prancing about in ermine robes won’t be forgotten.”
Within his own party, the decision blindsided many. One Scottish Labour worker told the Guardian: “If he was going to resign, it would have been clearer to have stated that in May and given everyone the chance to have a proper assessment and restructure things however needed. Doing it this way means everyone is thrown into the lurch.”
Sarwar’s seat in the Scottish parliament will pass to Monica Lennon, the next name on the list, who is also seen as a credible leadership contender. The MSP for North East Scotland, Michael Marra, is another potential candidate.
Sarwar joins a Burnham cabinet already packed with former Starmer critics. The new energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, was the first minister to resign from Starmer’s administration, saying she had lost faith in him. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had suggested to Starmer that his time was up, while John Healey and Wes Streeting, who resigned as defence and health secretaries respectively in Starmer’s final weeks, now serve as chancellor and defence secretary.
The backdrop of lingering bitterness was captured by Steve Reed, the former communities secretary and a staunch Starmer loyalist. In a letter to Burnham upon leaving government, Reed wrote: “I hope those who did not show loyalty to Keir will now show it to you.”