Anas Sarwar has backed Keir Starmer to take Labour into the next general election despite the UK party leader facing mounting questions over beergate.
It comes during an investigation by police over whether a beer-and-curry gathering in Durham in April last year breached lockdown rules.
Labour insists the food was consumed between work events - meaning it was within the rules despite a ban on indoor socialising.
But the party faced fresh questions after a leaked memo suggested the takeaway was planned with no further work apparently scheduled after dinner.
Sarwar insisted it was important not to draw a "false equivalence" between the actions of Starmer and Boris Johnson.
The Scottish Labour leader - who was speaking at an event in Easterhouse today - claimed his boss was "willing, keen and happy" to answer any questions on the matter.
"This is an issue the police looked at before and found no case to answer," he told reporters after making a speech to party activists and councillors.
"But I would be careful not to draw a false equivalence of what we are talking about here and what happened at Downing Street.
"At Downing Street you had regular, planned parties in the deepest, darkest parts of lockdown.
"And you had a Prime Minister denying he was even present and then lying about it in the House of Commons.
"So let's not draw some false equivalence between. Let Keir Starmer answer any and all those questions as I suggested."
He added: "He is confident no rules were broken".
Asked by the Record if he was confident Keir Starmer would lead Labour into the next general election, Sarwar continued: "Absolutely.
"The next electoral contest in Scotland is not going to be a referendum, it's going to be a general election.
"And we have to start that campaign right now and build a coalition of the people, across the country, to boot Boris out of Dowing Street.
"Let me clear - that is a coalition of the people, not of political parties. No ifs, not buts, no deals with the SNP.
"So I am making a direct plea to people - whether you voted for us on Thursday or not - work with us, because ultimately, only Labour can replace the Tories - others can only oppose them."
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