The leader of Scottish Labour has said he “stands by” his call for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign.
Anas Sarwar said Scots deserved to know if he was “willing to call out failure wherever I see it” and whether he would act differently as first minister.
“That for me is more important than any given relationship or anything that might matter to the Westminster bubble,” he told reporters at the Scottish Parliament.
Earlier this week, the Scottish politician became the most senior Labour figure by far to call for Sir Keir to resign.
It comes amid the continued fallout over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US – despite his continued friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The PM claims Lord Mandelson lied about his connection to the late financier.
While a number of MSPs backed Mr Sarwar, his call – at an impromptu press conference on Monday – prompted a wave of support around the Prime Minister from MPs and Cabinet ministers.
So far, very few Scottish Labour MPs have publicly backed the call.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Sarwar said his position has not changed.
He said: “I stated my view. I stand by that view. I welcome the fact that there is now general acceptance that things have not been good enough, that there have been far too many mistakes and things have to change.”
The Scottish Labour leader said the call was “my decision alone” and that he was “not part of any wider attempt” to oust the PM.
He went on: “I took the decision based upon what I am willing to tolerate, what I am willing to accept, recognising that my first loyalty and my first priority is to my country, Scotland, and I am the one that’s putting myself forward to the country in three months time.
“The people of Scotland deserve to know what my standards are, what I’m willing to accept if I’m willing to call out failure wherever I see it, and what I would do differently if I was elected first minister.”
The row comes as polls suggest Scottish Labour could come third behind Reform and the SNP at the Holyrood election in May.
Asked if he would stand by the Prime Minister if he travelled to Scotland to campaign for the party, Mr Sarwar said: “If he is here, delivering for Scotland, of course.”
First Minister John Swinney told the Press Association it was “crystal clear” the Labour Party was now in “abject chaos” and “clearly falling apart”.
He added: “Anas Sarwar’s credibility has been completely undermined by the fact that he argued for Keir Starmer to be elected as the Prime Minister and now says that that judgment was wrong because Keir Starmer should no longer be the Prime Minister.
“While the Labour Party falls apart, I will concentrate on delivering on the priorities of the people of Scotland, opening the first walk-in GP clinic in Scotland today, delivering on the commitments that I made to the people of Scotland to improve access to healthcare services and to deliver the priorities of my of SNP Government.”
He said Mr Sarwar’s U-turn on supporting Sir Keir showed he does “not have the judgment to be first minister of Scotland”.
