Sarwar: Sturgeon’s eye off ball
ANAS Sarwar has accused Nicola Sturgeon of taking her eye “off the ball”.
The Scottish Labour leader took aim at the First Minister over her record on drug deaths, the health service, education and the suicide rate.
Sarwar, who is standing against Sturgeon in her Glasgow Southside seat, has criticised the SNP leader after Sturgeon admitted during the STV debate last week that her government had taken its “eye off the ball” on the devastating drugs crisis in Scotland.
In a TV interview, Sarwar said: “Nicola Sturgeon has been First Minister for seven years. In that time, the attainment gap has widened, not narrowed. In that time, our
ADMISSION Nicola Sturgeon NHS treatment times have got poorer, and 380,000 times they have broken their own treatment guarantee law.
“On 25,000 occasions in this pandemic someone has picked up the phone to call the crisis mental health service and the call has gone unanswered. She has taken her eye off the ball on drug deaths, she has taken her eye off the ball on the NHS, she has taken her eye off the ball in terms of suicide rates across the country, she has taken her eye off the ball on education.
“We need an effective Labour opposition in the next Parliament to make sure she keeps her eye on the ball for the recovery and not focused on her own priorities.”
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said: “Labour have had their eyes off the ball in Scotland for the last 20 years, which is why they have fallen behind even the Tories.”