Scottish Labour’s rivals decry ‘chancer’ Anas Sarwar for resigning to join Andy Burnham’s government

Anas Sarwar has been accused by the SNP of lying to the people of Scotland. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA View image in fullscreen Anas Sarwar has been accused by the SNP of lying to the people of Scotland. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Scottish Labour’s rivals decry ‘chancer’ Anas Sarwar for resigning to join Andy Burnham’s government The new prime minister plans to make Sarwar, the first Labour figure to call for Keir Starmer’s resignation, a peer Scottish Labour’s rivals in Holyrood have slammed Anas Sarwar’s shock decision to resign as leader to sit in Andy Burnham’s new government, calling him a “chancer” and accusing him of lying to voters. The prime minister plans to make Sarwar, who was the first senior Labour figure to call for Starmer to resign, a peer and give him a ministerial post at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Scottish Green party co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “Anas Sarwar is a chancer. 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 called for Sarwar to donate his new “bumper salary” to charity, accusing him of lying to the electorate over his intentions after previously saying he would never enter the Lords, calling it “unacceptable” in 2022. The SNP MSP George Adam said: “The Labour party and Anas Sarwar repeatedly denied and lied to the people of Scotland about Anas Sarwar’s intentions – the fact he will now be prancing about in ermine robes won’t be forgotten.” However, despite the move happening less than three months since his election campaign – shortly before Scottish Labour suffered their worst results in Holyrood history – those who know him do not think it was planned. Figures from within his own party were left reeling, with “surprised” being the word on the lips of a number of Scottish Labour politicians and staff on Wednesday. One Scottish Labour worker said: “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.” As is the formality in some constituencies, his seat as a member of the Scottish parliament will be relinquished and handed on to the next on the list, Monica Lennon. Lennon is also seen as a credible contender for party leadership, having been a popular MSP in the past. Michael Marra, the MSP for North East Scotland, is a name also being put forward as a potential candidate outside the power centres of Edinburgh or Glasgow. It will not be a wide field, as there are only 17 Labour MSPs to choose from. It is possible for an MP or even a Lord to take on the Scottish Labour leadership – meaning, in fact, Sarwar does not have to technically resign as leader – but it is most common for this role to be held by an MSP because of duties in the Scottish p