ANAS Sarwar has been urged to “come clean” after he faced questions over his involvement in the silencing of a senior Labour MSP who spoke out over Keir Starmer’s stance on the two-child benefit cap.
Dunfermline MP Graeme Downie reported Alex Rowley MSP to Labour bosses after he asked him to back an SNP bid to scrap the two-child benefit cap last year, The Courier reported.
It was reported that the Scottish Labour Party whips then admonished Rowley for urging his colleagues to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
The two-child benefit cap, which was introduced under the previous Tory-run UK government and kept in place by Keir Starmer’s administration, prevents people from claiming benefits for their third or subsequent children.
It has been described as “the biggest driver of rising child poverty in the UK today” by the Child Poverty Action Group.
The Rowley row follows growing reports of infighting amongst Scottish Labour as The Times claim the party’s MPs believe their MSP colleagues lack “gravitas and credibility”.
Meanwhile, Labour MSPs blame their Westminster counterparts' voting records for their polling collapse.
SNP MP, Kirsty Blackman (below), has now called for Sarwar to “come clean” and confirm if he gave the order to silence Rowley or whether it came directly from London Labour chiefs.
She said: “This is quite simple – did Anas Sarwar issue the sinister order to silence one of his most senior MSPs for his views on the two-child cap or did the command come directly from London Labour chiefs?
“This is an incredibly murky affair and shows the depths that the Labour Party will plummet under Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar to maintain order and discipline on their fast-sinking ship.
“In good faith, Alex Rowley contacted his MP colleagues to ask them to scrap the two-child cap. Not only was this clearly the right thing to do, but it was Scottish Labour policy, so for shadowy figures to wrap his knuckles and try to gag him is deeply menacing.”
Blackman added: “It speaks volumes that while the SNP government is working hard to mitigate the two-child cap in Scotland – Labour MPs are enforcing it at Westminster and strong-arming MSP colleagues into surrender.
“This is yet another broken promise from Anas Sarwar, who can't be trusted to keep his word and is too weak to lead his own MPs, let alone stand up for Scotland - it’s time the chancer came clean on what he knew and when about this ominous affair, but perhaps the embarrassment of London Labour big wigs ruling the roost is too much for him to bare.”
Last month, the Scottish Government said it was one step closer to ending the two-child benefit cap after opening a consultation on the policy, adding they will start payments as soon as possible.
First Minister John Swinney said fighting child poverty by scrapping the Westminster policy is a “top priority” and his government aims to do so by April 2026.
Scottish Labour have been approached for comment.
