Sarwar’ssaga

I think most sane people in Scotland are pleased that Anas Sarwar has won the Scottish Labour leadership election. He will know himself that he will not get a honeymoon period of any sort. The Scottish political establishment will be out to get him from the outset, and we need to hope that he can deal with that.

His priority is to make his party in Scotland look credible and electable. He needs to make an ally of his party leader at a UK level, and not try to differentiate their positions for the sake of it. They both stand a chance of making a success of their respective positions if they work together, but divided they will fall. The Labour Party above all others should understand that.

Mr Sarwar must not get pulled in to the nonsense that is currently overtaking Scottish politics. Let Jackie Baillie deal with that. She is quite capable and effective.

His priority is to tell people in Scotland what his party are about before May 6. In 2016, Scottish Labour only published their manifesto on the Monday before the election, when postal votes had already been posted, and almost everyone knew already who they would be voting for. That cannot happen again.

Labour voters want a big, bold but credible vision, and if Mr Sarwar can do that, he will claw back SNP votes as well. Above all else, he needs to concentrate on setting a Labour agenda. If he mentions the “I” word at all, he is giving oxygen to the agenda of his opponents. Mr Sarwar needs to set his own agenda.

VICTOR CLEMENTS Aberfeldy, Perthshire