Labour must set out its vision for Scotland

If party wants Scottish vote at general election public needs to know what a win for Starmer and co would mean for them

Labour figures are gathering in Glasgow today for the party’s conference on the back of a difficult week, but still riding high in the polls.

Ahead of the conference, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar spoke to The Scotsman warning against complacency and saying Sir Keir Starmer winning the general election is “fundamentally important” for his chances of becoming the next first minister of Scotland.

That the chance of Labour winning in Holyrood in 2026 is even being contemplated is an indication of just how fast the political landscape has moved in the last 12 months.

It can, of course, move again before the general election and certainly before the next Scottish Parliament election, and Mr Sarwar is correct in saying “nothing is in the bag”.

Labour attracted huge criticism last week after ditching its pledge to spend £28 billion a year on its green investment plan, and is under more pressure over the oil and gas “cliff edge”.

These are, of course, hugely important areas to Scotland and while Mr Sarwar today attempts to deflect the criticism, it does need to be addressed.

"I think large numbers, to be honest, mean very little to the electorate,” he tells us today in reference to the £28bn pledge.

“What they're interested in is what does it mean for me, what does it mean for my family, what does it mean for our local economy? And that's why I think we always should have concentrated on the outcomes rather than the inputs.”

He is exactly right and that is what needs to be spelled out.

In particular, communities in the North-east which rely on thousands employed in the oil and gas sector, desperately need to know the plan when a Labour government enters Downing Street.

Mr Sarwar will likely be fighting the Holyrood election in 2026 on the back of decisions taken by a Labour prime minister.

This spring conference gives an opportunity for the party to outline exactly what that is going to look like.