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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Ross Hunter

'Lack of principles': Anas Sarwar called out amid silence on Welsh Labour chaos

ANAS Sarwar has been accused of hypocrisy over his response to the chaos engulfing Welsh Labour.

On Tuesday, the Labour MS and First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething announced that he would be stepping down following a mutiny within his own party.

Gething, who only became first minister in March of this year, had been hit by numerous scandals during his time office.

He had been criticised for accepting a £200,000 donation from a firm convicted of environmental offences during his campaign to replace Mark Drakeford as leader of Welsh Labour.

Gething had also faced backlash after sacking a former minister who he thought leaked private messages to the media, despite denials from that same media.

The weight of the controversy eventually resulted in Gething’s resignation. However, despite calling for fresh elections after Yousaf’s departure, Sarwar is yet to release a statement on the Gething developments at all.

“The SNP are a divided party which is out of ideas and incapable of rising to the challenges Scotland faces,” said Sarwar back in April following Yousaf’s exit.

“They cannot impose another unelected First Minister on Scotland in a backroom deal – the people of Scotland should decide who leads out country.

“There must be an election – it’s time for change and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.”

Vaughan Gething announced that he would be stepping down as first minister on TuesdayVaughan Gething announced that he would be stepping down as Welsh first minister on Tuesday

Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer accused Sarwar and the Labour Party of lacking in consistent principles.

“A lot has been said about Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar’s leadership of the Labour party,” said Greer. “But no one would dare accuse them of being principled, honest or consistent. That’s just not how Labour operates.

“They effortlessly swing from position to position, from pledge to pledge, dropping them when they cease to be convenient, and always saying what they think will be to their electoral advantage at any given moment, even if it contradicts what they were saying yesterday.

“Unfortunately for Labour, voters aren’t stupid. The more they behave like this, the fewer people will believe what they say.

"As Boris Johnson discovered, lack of principles comes with a time limit.”

Scottish Labour have been contacted for comment.

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