The SNP leadership candidates vying to be Scotland’s next first minister are not of the same "calibre"as Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said.
Following the First Minister's resignation announcement last month, Ash Regan, Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf are in the race to take over the top job.
But Sarwar claimed the leadership contest has shown none of the candidates are equipped with the skills to improve Scotland’s NHS crisis or the economy.
Forbes criticised rival candidate Humza Yousaf’s record in Government in a TV debate earlier this week, with the fallout dominating First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) on Thursday.
And Yousaf accused the Finance Secretary of giving ammunition to the opposition parties, with Forbes insisting she is the candidate her rivals are most worried about becoming the next first minister.
But the Scottish Labour leader told journalists on Friday none of the three candidates gave him anything to be concerned about.
Speaking on a visit to Glasgow alongside UK Labour leader Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, Sarwar said: “I think it’s fair to say we don’t fear any of the candidates. I will take any of them.
“I think the other important point to make is, I have profound disagreements with Nicola Sturgeon. I don’t agree with her politics.
“I’ve been battling on the frontline of politics with her for over a decade, but I think even the most ardent SNP supporter would accept that none of these candidates are of the calibre of Nicola Sturgeon.
“If Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t fix our NHS, how is Humza Yousaf going to fix our NHS? If Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t fix our economy, how is Kate Forbes going to fix that economy? And if Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t pull our country together, how is Ash Regan going to pull our country together?
“There’s an alternative though, and we can’t just wait for the wheels to fall off the SNP bus. We have to, with humility, reach out, win people’s trust and demonstrate to them we have a credible plan for the economy.”
Meanwhile, Starmer said the SNP leadership contest shows the party has “lost its way” with voters.
Speaking on a visit to the Siemens technology firm, he said: “What you’re seeing now is a leadership contest in which the contestants are arguing about just how bad the SNP record is.
“At the moment, I think most people in Scotland are crying out for answers to the issues that they’re really facing.
“I want to make that positive case for change. I’m conscious of every single vote in Scotland so I’m taking nothing for granted.
“Yes, the SNP, I think, are falling apart. Yes, they’re focused on the wrong things.
“They’re having arguments with themselves but I am not complacent about this. I know we have to make our argument and earn every vote.”
He added: “I don’t mind who wins this candidates race in Scotland because what I see is candidates arguing about just how bad their record in Government is."
