ANAS Sarwar has been urged to confirm whether he thinks the Scottish Parliament’s only purpose is to mitigate Tory policies after one of his frontbench MSPs made the claim.
In what the SNP have branded a “bizarre intervention”, Paul O’Kane asked the Presiding Officer on Tuesday: “What is the point in this Parliament, Presiding Officer, if not to mitigate the policies of this Conservative government?"
The SNP have now called on Labour leader Sarwar to clarify his position on the “astonishing” comment.
SNP MSP Ivan McKee said the remarks show a lack of respect for devolution.
He said: “Anas Sarwar must urgently clarify whether his MSP’s tacit acceptance of brutal Tory austerity status quo is his party’s official position. "Labour have drifted so far from their founding values under Starmer, that their frontbench in Holyrood have now become apologists for Tory austerity.
“Mr O’Kane’s remarks yesterday show a distinct lack of respect for devolution and proves Labour has no ambition for Scotland. These comments will be deeply concerning for anyone who respects Scotland’s national parliament. "The Scottish Parliament should not be merely a stopgap for Westminster governments. “The SNP is the only party that will always put Scotland first."
O’Kane - Labour’s shadow cabinet secretary for social justice, social security and equalities – spoke in a debate on the latest Building a New Scotland paper, entitled Migration to Scotland after independence.
He was asked by Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn if mitigation was the highest hope he had for Holyrood.
He said in response: “In the current situation where we have a Conservative government that doesn’t seem to care, that’s bringing in legislation that’s pernicious, this Government doesn’t seem to want to mitigate it. Why is that?
“What is this point in this Parliament, Presiding Officer, if not to mitigate the policies of this Conservative Government?”
