Labour's revival in Scotland paves the way for Keir Starmer to stride in No10, the party’s Scottish chief has declared.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror as the fallout from Nicola Sturgeon’s bombshell resignation reverberated around Britain, Anas Sarwar said the nationalist leader’s departure triggered a chance for “generational change”.
As delegates gathered in Edinburgh for this weekend’s Scottish Labour conference - which Mr Starmer addresses on Sunday - Mr Sarwar said the British party was on course for a return to power.
And he insisted a UK-wide Labour Government was the only way to save the Union.
Ms Sturgeon’s dramatic resignation has fuelled Labour hopes of reclaiming swathes of seats lost at the 2015 general election.
“It makes it easier for us to set out why we believe Scotland needs a new vision, new ideas, new energy and new passion,” said Mr Sarwar.
“We were always going to make that case - now I think we can make that case more clearly.”
He added: “Even before the announcement there was a vibe that Labour was a party on the rise and the SNP was a party in decline.”
Sitting in Edinburgh’s 236-year-old Assembly Rooms where the conference takes place - which Mr Sarwar admitted was “perfect timing” given Ms Sturgeon’s resignation - he was digesting polling figures published minutes before he sat down with the Mirror.
The YouGov study showed Labour on 27% and the nationalists on 29%, with 14% “don’t knows”.
When he took over nearly two years ago, Labour was dwindling on 14% with the SNP above 40%.
Hailing“incredible progress”, Mr Sarwar described yesterday’s(FRI) poll as “a sign of encouragement, a sign that we’ve got a spring in our step to give us confidence and belief”.
But he added: “I’m never complacent for a second … individual polls will come and go.”
He drew parallels between the Scottish party’s bounce back and UK Labour’s revival under Mr Starmer.
“What Keir has managed to do in three years is turn a party that had its worst result since 1983 into a party that looks like it’s ready for government,” he said.
“What we have managed to do in two years is turn a party that looked like its best days had long gone into a party that is now competitive in Scotland again.
“What I want to do over the next year, leading up to the next general election, is demonstrate that Labour can deliver the seats in Scotland to deliver a UK Labour Government.”
Underlining the importance of Labour winning again in what used to be its Scottish heartlands, he went on: “Keir and I are both aligned to the fact there is no route to a majority Labour Government across the UK that doesn’t go through Scotland.
“The challenge we both face now though is to turn that hope of a Labour Government into a reality - and that means setting out what change looks like, and building a coalition of the people to boot out this Tory Government.”
As the SNP prepares for a potentially divisive leadership race, Mr Sarwar doubts whoever wins will command the same respect as their predecessor.
“Even the most sympathetic and kind person would admit that the next leader is not going to be anywhere near the calibre, the ability, of Nicola Sturgeon,” he warned.
The next First Minister will inherit a party battling to pursue its dream of splitting Scotland from the UK.
Mr Sarwar was “absolutely confident” the Union would still exist in 20 years, but cautioned: “I don’t think anything can be taken for granted.
“The only way of protecting the United Kingdom and securing its future is by electing a Labour Government; I sincerely believe that.
“Another period of a Conservative Government is only going to pit community against community, nation against nation - we’re going to have constitutional battles, culture wars and we’re going to continue to see decline.”
He added: “There isn’t a majority in Scotland for independence, there isn’t a majority in Scotland for a referendum, there isn’t a majority in Scotland for the status quo either.
“But there is an overwhelming majority in Scotland for change, and my challenge and Keir’s challenge is to make sure we can present Labour as that change.”
Mr Sarwar marks his second anniversary of becoming leader on February 27.
The former MP, 39, was acting Scottish Labour leader for two months in 2014 as the party struggled to organise itself.
When he took the job on a permanent basis, he became its eighth leader - including those who held the role temporarily - in just over six years.
He believes he has injected stability into the post and party, with Scottish Labour now enjoying “a unity of purpose, ambition and a unified belief that we are no longer just a party that gets to talk about what we care about but a party of government”.
Asked why he was succeeding when predecessors had failed, he said that within weeks of him taking over, he was struck by “the number of people that said to me, ‘Isn’t it great to have a Labour leader that’s smiling again?’”
He added: “I think that natural sense of optimism and energy is really important.
“I genuinely believe that Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us, I don’t accept the politics of despair.”
Admitting the past two years have “probably not been great for the hairline”, he insisted: “I’m genuinely enjoying the job, I love what I do.
“I hope people can see that I'm enjoying it, that I’m being myself and presenting what I hope is a more positive vision both of the Labour Party - but more importantly a more positive vision for Scotland.”
Analysis by Ben Glaze
Labour is a party renewed both north and south of the Scottish border.
The UK-wide outfit, led by Keir Starmer, regularly enjoys 20-point poll leads over the Tories and he has - officially, as of this week - freed Labour of the scourge of vile anti-Semitism.
In Scotland, almost eight years after voters plunged the party into political oblivion with the nationalists claiming 56 of 59 parliamentary seats, there is finally a sense of optimism.
Nicola Sturgeon’s bombshell exit has etched smiles on the faces of Scottish Labour supporters who have spent the last decade in the Doldrums.
The cult of personality she encouraged meant Nicola, Queen of Scots, dominated the airwaves - and the nation’s once rich, diverse, political landscape effectively became a one-party state.
The SNP’s devastating record on the NHS, education and drugs deaths was largely eclipsed by Sturgeon’s sheer force - and the resolute pursuit of independence.
Her successor will not be allowed the same hiding space.
This weekend, the 316-year-old Union looks a little safer, with even hardcore Nats admitting their separation fantasy is now further from their grasp.
With Anas Sarwar leading Labour’s Scottish fightback, the party’s Welsh bastion still secure a century after it the party over the Severn won its first election - a run which remains unbroken - and Starmer in Westminster increasingly looking like a Prime Minister in waiting, the keys to No10 appear closer today than at any point in the 13 years since they were snatched from proud Scot Gordon Brown’s iron fist in May 2010.
