SCOTTISH politics is the centre of the world for many people, including a lot of the 1,700 or so folk who turned up at Glasgow’s SEC venue this weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer was there yesterday, closing a Scottish Labour conference where bigwigs were frankly in a bit of a daze after the ups — and now the downs — of the past year.
Scottish Labour saviour now a Keir and present danger[/caption]
Starmer was the future seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man says Musson[/caption]
There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it, he adds[/caption]
The Scottish Sun’s Chris Musson thinks the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.[/caption]
But as important as Scots leader Anas Sarwar’s plight may be — he has a Holyrood election to fight next year — the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.
Quite apart from the UK economic turmoil, recent events and Donald Trump’s wild attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky have threatened to upend world order and security.
A big section of Starmer’s speech focused on Ukraine, ahead of a big week for the PM. He flies to Europe and to Washington this week for talks on Russia, including with Trump.
Frankly, he could have done without a trip to a rainy Clydeside to read out some words written for him on quite a few subjects he has little intricate knowledge of.
That was evident in the press “huddle” after the speech — an off-camera quizzing by reporters — where Mr Sarwar stood dutifully by Starmer, ready to jump in if questions got heavy on Scots details.
That happened twice, on Grangemouth and polling.
People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it
Chris Musson
On public opinion, Starmer insisted that he didn’t get up every day and “rummage” through polls. A nice line, but it’s only true because he has someone to do that for him.
And looking at public opinion — and what the PM has on his plate — now seems to be a mutually convenient point in time for Scottish Labour and Keir to take a break from each other.
According to YouGov, his popularity rating — the balance between those with a positive and negative view — has gone from -14 in August to -40 now.
A poll out yesterday asked people if the actions of Starmer or Sarwar had more influence on them when considering how they’d vote in the 2026 election. More than twice as many said Starmer.
Conference fringe discussions were peppered with questions to Labour panellists about how to counter this Starmer drag.
Because a year ago, he was an asset to his party in Scotland, and received a rapturous response at the Scottish Labour gathering.
Twelve months later, he was in the same venue, on the same stage, saying many of the same things. But the hall wasn’t even nearly full.
The applause may have been warm, but many Scottish Labour figures are only too aware that the asset has become a liability — a danger to their hopes — in the eyes of many who voted for them last July.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven months, given how much bad news the new UK Government has managed to squeeze in.
Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man
Chris Musson
Winter fuel payments, increasing employer’s National Insurance after pledging no tax hikes, refusing to honour promises to compensate Waspi pensioner women.
Inflation is up, GB Energy has been created and, despite the PM tying it directly to cutting energy prices, the company’s chair had said that’s not its job.
Starmer pointed to some of his popular policies yesterday, such as the increase in the national living wage, or boosting workers’ rights.
But they’ve been drowned out amid the noise. And the big problem is that big promise: Change.
There was the small print during the election campaign, of course. It would take time. Things would get worse before they would get better. But who reads the small print?
Above all, Labour underestimated people’s impatience Having seen what they think is the same old story, they have drifted to Reform UK or back to the SNP.
Sarwar and Scottish Labour may have flattered themselves into thinking they made a significant difference at the General Election and weren’t just hanging on the coattails of the UK party.
But greater forces are at play, notably the story unfolding at Westminster.
There is, however, a captivating story to be told about Scotland, and about the SNP’s failures after nearly 18 years in government — 19 by the time of next year’s election.
Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus to that. Indeed, Starmer made a start yesterday, as did Sarwar in his speech on Friday.
The SNP want the 2026 election to be as a verdict on Starmer.
Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus back to the SNP.
MIC LEFT ON
EVER wondered what politicians are saying to each other in those odd moments when they’re lapping up applause?
Well, wonder no more. Because after Scottish Secretary Ian Murray’s conference speech, someone left the mics on.
Murray had told the audience he was tired and at risk of nodding off, with his second child born last month.
Anas Sarwar joined Murray for the applause, and here’s what we picked up . . .
Sawar told him: “Well done.”
Murray said: “I didn’t fall asleep, I’m still awake.”
Gesturing to the speech printout being clasped by Murray, Sarwar said: “Put that down there, there we go.”
Murray then rubbed his belly and joked to a photographer: “Should I put my belly in?”
An alarmed Sarwar told him: “Are you going to wave at your ministers? There we go.”
People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it.
The good news for Scottish Labour is that, as the last year has shown, voters can change their minds very quickly.
There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it.
Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man.
Over the next year at least, Starmer will be judged on his first year as much as anything else. That period is also crucial to Scottish Labour.
So he should go off and fry those bigger fish. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger.
For now, he and his Scottish party are better off apart.
Find out what’s really going on
Register now for our free weekly politics newsletter for an insightful and irreverent look at the (sometimes excruciating) world of Scottish Politics.
Every Thursday our hotshot politics team goes behind the headlines to bring you a rundown of key events – plus insights and gossip from the corridors of power, including a ‘Plonker’ and ‘Star’ of the Week.
Sign up now and make sure you don’t miss a beat. The politicians would hate that.
