SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar was accused of “celebrating being a loser” during a fiery exchange at FMQs.
First Minister Humza Yousaf jibed that Sarwar was “all style, no substance” as the two party leaders clashed following two different polls.
The first, from YouGov, suggested the SNP could lose 23 seats to Labour at the next General Election, but the party would still return the most MPs. It would be their worst result since 2010. The poll suggested Labour would jump from having only one Scottish MP, to 24.
A second poll released on Wednesday put support for independence at 53%, also showing an increase in support for Labour with the SNP still in the lead.
Ipsos said that support for the SNP had dropped by 4 points to 41%, with Labour in second place at 29% (+10).
During a tense exchange where Sarwar accused Yousaf of presiding over a “culture of secrecy”, Yousaf hit back and said his Government is the most transparent in the UK.
Last year, the Scottish Government pledged to improve its performance around freedom of information (FOI) requests in response to concerns from the Information Commissioner.
🗣️ 'That sums up Scottish Labour pretty well' Humza Yousaf tells Anas Sarwar he 'celebrates being a loser' during a fiery exchange at FMQs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XIZ3prLwgZ
— The National (@ScotNational) May 25, 2023
Sarwar said: “There is a culture of secrecy and cover-up at the heart of this dysfunctional and incompetent SNP government.
“New data we are publishing today shows the number of FOI requests the Scottish Government has passed on to ministers for approval has risen fivefold.
“Once a case goes to ministers to sign off, or to cover up, waiting times double.”
One in six FOI requests do not receive a response in the legally set timeframe, Sarwar said.
The FM accused Sarwar of “desperation”, saying he was “trying to throw as much mud as he possibly can to hope that things stick”.
He insisted that the Scottish Government has ambitious targets for FOIs and he has already promised to improve performance, saying he wants to “ensure that we are the most transparent Government on these islands”.
Sarwar went on to ask the First Minister about the outcome of a bullying investigation into former minister Fergus Ewing and whether this could be released.
Yousaf said the Government must adhere to legal advice and will take a “responsible approach”.
The Scottish Labour leader also made a reference to the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, which has seen a luxury campervan seized.
Sarwar said: “The SNP are taking Scots for a ride and we don’t even get the luxury of enjoying the campervan.
“FOI laws are flouted, dissent is suppressed and problems are swept under the carpet.”
The First Minister fired back and referred to recent opinion polling, saying: “I saw Anas Sarwar celebrating polls that once again put the Labour Party in second place.
“Celebrating being a loser, that sums up Anas Sarwar and the Scottish Labour Party.”
