Swinney demands Meta remove ‘racist’ Reform UK ad attacking Labour’s Sarwar

The SNP leader said: ‘Anas Sarwar is a political rival of mine, but he shouldn’t be subjected to that kind of racist attack.’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

The SNP leader John Swinney has demanded that the owner of Facebook act on Reform UK’s “racist” byelection advert that attacks the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar.

The Facebook video, which incorrectly claims Sarwar has promised to prioritise Pakistani communities, is now subject to formal complaints from Scotland’s two main political parties. Scottish Labour contacted Meta, Facebook’s parent company, about the video two weeks ago and has yet to receive a reply.