The expected departure of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to the House of Lords comes at a critical moment for the party. The news has rekindled debate about whether and how to make Scottish Labour more autonomous from the Westminster party.

A new campaign group of Labour politicians called “Just for Scotland” (JFS) has effectively been calling for the Scottish Labour Party to declare independence from UK Labour. The group has even suggested changing the party’s name to end its contamination by association with UK Labour.

One poll conducted by Find Out Now for JFS suggested that up to 60% of voters who had left Labour for the SNP or the Greens would return if the party were fully independent. An even greater number would switch back if the Scottish Labour Party changed its name, though it is not clear what that new name would be.

JFS’s messaging has gained traction in the Scottish Labour Party in the wake of Sarwar’s elevation to the House of Lords. The Glasgow MSP, who has led the party since 2021, is accused of breaking his promise to remain leader at least until the next round of local elections. Sarwar has clearly been rewarded by Andy Burnham for being one of the first to call for the resignation of Keir Starmer back in February. The SNP has leapt on his departure as a sure sign that Scottish Labour is merely a “branch office” of London Labour. Many in the Scottish Labour Party appear to agree.

Labour returned only 17 MSPs to the Scottish Parliament in May, the same number as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Sarwar has had to share the role of opposition leader in Holyrood with Reform’s Malcolm Offord. This humiliation may have significantly contributed to his loss of interest in the job.

Sarwar’s move to Westminster means a reorganization of Scottish Labour’s executive, but this alone cannot resolve the problem of its constitutional link to the UK party. Jack McConnell, a former Labour first minister of Scotland, has not formally supported a breakaway but has called for the debate to be had. Monica Lennon, who had been an experienced and popular MSP before falling victim to Labour’s election rout, has expressed support for a breakaway in the past.

Others, such as former prime minister Gordon Brown, point out that it would be extremely difficult to detach the Scottish Labour Party from “London Labour” in practice. Apart from anything else, Labour in Scotland has been financially and organizationally dependent on the broader UK party. Burnham is keen on devolution but not separatism.

However, Sarwar’s “scoot for the ermine”, as it is being called, is making the constitutional status of Labour in Scotland a pressing issue. He may turn out to be the last person to lead the Scottish Labour Party as we know it.

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Iain Macwhirter was political commentator for The Herald between 1999 and 2022, and is the author of Disunited Kingdom: How Westminster Won a Referendum But Lost Scotland. He was Rector of the University of Edinburgh from 2009-12.

iainmacwhirter

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