Starmer’s unpopularity was insurmountable for Scottish Labour – and a boon for Reform

Long before the final votes were counted in Scotland , veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street. When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottish National party, playing a significant part in Keir Starmer’s landslide victory. Two years later, Starmer’s unpopularity proved an insurmountable obstacle for Sarwar, despite record donations to Scottish Labour and a formidable electoral machine, honed over the past five years. And with only a handful of constituencies declared, he decided to concede defeat before the real scale of Labour losses across the country was known. More than 12 hours later, when the final regional results were declared after 1am, it was clear that Holyrood politics had been upended. Scottish Labour had tied in second place behind the SNP with Reform UK, the party that previously attacked Sarwar’s loyalty to Scotland in a racist ad . And a party that the SNP leader, John Swinney, has described as an acute threat to devolution . While, unlike Westminster, Holyrood has no “official” opposition, the second-placed party leads first minister’s questions every week. A tie has not happened before, but the assumption is that Scottish Labour and Reform UK will take turns. …