ANAS Sarwar has been accused of “foolishly” trying to “cosy up” with Donald Trump after he said the Scottish Government should embrace business with the US President, “regardless” of his politics.
The Scottish Labour leader argued in an article for The Times that the Scottish Government was treating the US as an “afterthought” and hailed Keir Starmer’s bid to secure a trade deal with Trump despite being slapped with the same 10% tariffs as most other countries.
Sarwar went on to argue that any attempt to win over positive favour from the US President “should be obvious” and that Trump and his family would have been “frustrated” doing business in Scotland.
“A strong economic relationship with the US also means engaging with major investors who have already put their money into Scotland — including, yes, businesses linked to President Trump,” he wrote.
Sarwar added: “President Trump’s affinity for Scotland is real, regardless of what people think of his politics.”
However, the Scottish Labour leader’s comments have been panned as SNP MSP George Adam (below) accused him of trying to jump on the Trump bandwagon.
He added that the US was not the only government who were economically incompetent, highlighting that the National Insurance rise on Monday by the Labour Government will affect Scots across the country.
“As the world economy flounders because of Trump's tariffs, Anas Sarwar has decided now is the time to jump on the Trump bandwagon,” he said.
“But economic incompetence is not limited to the White House - it's also coming from Whitehall - as Labour's own raft of incompetence came into place over the weekend, backed by Anas Sarwar.
“Labour's National Insurance hikes will cost Scots - and married with Trump's tariffs, will drive up prices here in Scotland.”
Sarwar had also accused the Scottish Government of making the country seem “closed for business” despite the US being Scotland’s largest international trading partner outside the European Union.
Scotland exported £3.9 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024, but Sarwar argued that if the country wants stronger economic ties, it will need to do more business directly with the US President.
However, Scottish Greens Co-leader Lorna Slater (below) has warned Sarwar that “grovelling” to Trump will get him nowhere.
She added that the US President wasn’t going to change “who he is because” because Sarwar and the Prime Minister are nice to him.
“There is no good that can come from cozying up to Donald Trump and grovelling to him in this way. You can't say you are for equality one day and then embrace Trump the next,” Slater said.
“Anas Sarwar knows as well as I do that Trump a racist extremist who has shown a total disregard for human rights, our climate and the lives of people in Gaza and Ukraine.
“He is not going to change who he is because Anas Sarwar or Keir Starmer are nice to him, and it is foolish for them to try.”
Slater added: “Scotland's future can and must be with a closer Europe.
“We should be looking to build our green economy and expand our trading ties with our nearest neighbours and reaching out to countries like Canada that have also been targeted by the White House.”
In response to both Adam and Slater, a spokesperson for Sarwar said: “Perhaps these politicians should actually read Mr Sarwar’s piece and respond to the substance of it. The response from senior SNP figures is frankly childish and not serious.
“Mr Sarwar spent his time in America fighting for investment and job opportunities for Scotland and Scottish businesses.
“To that end, Mr Sarwar met with several business people and politicians as well as attending the Tartan Day celebrations.
“The USA is one of Scotland’s largest foreign markets and plays a crucial role in our prosperity.”
