SCOTTISH Labour were roundly mocked in Holyrood on Thursday over their “grubby deals” with the Tories in four local authorities.
Before the council election on May 5, Labour leader Anas Sarwar pledged not to enter into any coalitions, but the reality is that the party have entered into numerous power sharing equivalents in the wake of the vote.
In Dumfries and Galloway, Labour entered into an agreement with the SNP to take control, but in Edinburgh, Fife, Stirling and West Lothian, numerous loose pacts have been struck between Unionist parties. Meanwhile, in Moray and South Ayrshire, Labour abstentions allowed the Tories to take minority control.
The SNP said that Labour must "stop insulting voters' intelligence" over the deals, adding that nearly two-thirds of Labour administrations in Scotland have been created because of deals with the Tories.
Deputy first minister John Swinney, who was standing in for Nicola Sturgeon while she recovers from Covid-19, blasted Sarwar for rewarding the “out of touch, toxic and corrupt” Scottish Tories.
Arianne Burgess, Scottish Greens MSP for Highlands and Islands, told fellow MSPs she was “shocked” by Labour’s ousting of the SNP, who were the largest party, in Edinburgh City Council. Instead of returning to the previous arrangement where Labour and the SNP worked together in the capital, Labour have instead struck a deal with the LibDems and Tories to form a minority administration. A potential SNP-Green administration didn’t have the numbers needed.
Burgess said: “Here in the capital the proposed SNP-Green co-operation agreement included significant measures to increase bus patronage.
“Is the Deputy first minister as shocked as I am that instead of embracing progressive politics Labour have put these positive measures at risk to cobble together an administration?
“Can the Deputy first minister outline how the government will work collaboratively to provide quality bus services across Scotland?”
Swinney responded: “As a consequence of the partnership that has been agreed between the Scottish Green party and the Scottish Government, young people rightly travel for free under the age of 22, because of that agreement I think there was an opportunity in other parts of the country to go further in relation to this type of collaboration.
“And I’m only sorry in the city of Edinburgh, the Labour party’s collaboration with the Conservative party has thwarted further ambitious proposals being brought forward.
"We know that all of these grubby deals at local level have been approved by Jackie Baillie, frankly it explains a lot about that particular agreement.
“I very much regret that there wasn’t the opportunity to take forward some of these proposals and to advance the interests of the people of Scotland by the collaboration we’ve seen in this parliament.”
After a tense exchange between Sarwar and Swinney earlier at FMQs over the current Scotrail strikes and reduced services, the deputy FM took the opportunity to slam the Labour leadership.
After setting out how the Scottish Government is helping people deal with the cost of living crisis, such as a boost to the Scottish Child Payment, Swinney said: “While we’re doing all of that, to support the cost of living crisis that’s being faced by members of the public, what are the Labour Party doing?
“The Labour Party is getting into bed with the Tory party in council administrations around the country, so when Anas Sarwar told the country on May 5 don’t reward the toxic out-of-touch Tory party with your vote, what is the Labour Party now doing?
“The Labour Party is rewarding the toxic out-of-touch corrupt Tory party with jobs in West Lothian council and Edinburgh city council, the Labour Party and the Tory party working together.
“Vote Labour, get Tory.”
Commenting after FMQs, SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: "Anas Sarwar must stop insulting the intelligence of the people of Scotland - the least he can do is be honest about these agreements.
“Sarwar needs to own up - he has broken a key election promise that his party would not enter into any deal with any party, but instead Labour have been working hand in hand with the Tories and offering them powerful positions in Scotland’s councils.
“The Tories have created this cost of living crisis and Labour have rewarded them for their incompetence by shepherding them into power in councils across the country.
“Nothing Anas Sarwar says on the cost of living crisis can be taken seriously as Labour have done dodgy deals with the very architects of the crisis."
