Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, delighted large sections of the Question Time audience in Aberdeen with his answers on the topical debate show
Members of the audience on Question Time applauded as the Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland insisted he “wants Reform to get absolutely pumped” at the election next month.
Anas Sarwar made a direct appeal for voters to pick his party on May 7, again denying accusations he would do any kind of post-election deal with the right-wing populists if it meant he could become First Minister. Fiona Bruce grilled Mr Sarwar, 43, on these claims, which he branded as “utter nonsense”.
Speaking on the BBC programme, which on Thursday night was held in Aberdeen, the politician said: “It is utter nonsense and, let’s be really clear, I want Reform to get absolutely pumped in this election, so if you want [inaudible] Reform, vote for me and Labour on May 7.”
The crowd clapped and laughed at this, to which Lord Malcolm Offord, Leader of Reform UK Scotland, replied with waffle, eventually again accusing Mr Sarwar of trying to form an allegiance with his party. Mr Sarwar, who has been in his position for five years, again denied this.
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Mr Sarwar stressed he wouldn’t work with the party which, last year, spent thousands on adverts questioning his loyalty to Scotland. Nigel Farage’s party had claimed Mr Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, would “prioritise” Pakistani people.
But Mr Sarwar, at the time, blasted Mr Farage as “a poisonous man who doesn’t understand Scotland” and, on Question Time last night, said there are “lots of families” across the devolved nation who are afraid of Reform’s politics.
Lord Offord, who defected from the Tories to Reform late last year, eventually defended his party on the programme. He said: “The public are backing Reform very well, thank you Anas. When you come third in this election, you’ll have to explain to your own party who that happened.
“Clearly the name is Reform UK, so we believe in the UK. We don’t believe in a referendum which is what some people want right now, we are not getting [that message] out on the streets at all.”
When Ms Bruce pressed the politician on this point, the audience in Aberdeen laughed again. Lord Offord, though, stressed Reform UK is “going to make Scotland a more successful part of the UK” in the next 10 years.
This week’s episode of Question Time was part of three dedicated to the election on May 7. The show was held in Cardiff last week, during which Huw Irranca-Davies, the Deputy First Minister of Wales, defended Keir Starmer over the Lord Peter Mandelson row.
