Anas Sarwar: I will ban mobile phones in school classrooms as Labour First Minister

Anas Sarwar has promised to ban mobile phones in school classrooms if he becomes the next first minister of Scotland.

The Scottish Labour leader said he would make schools “safe, calm places for learning again” amid a rise in bullying. He also pledged to end rough sleeping and “do whatever it takes to fix our NHS” as he addressed his party’s conference in Glasgow on Friday.

Elsewhere, he said he would set up his own version of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] “to stop the waste and deliver value for money”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar | PA

Mr Sarwar insisted Labour would “defy the odds” and win the Scottish Parliament election next year, telling First Minister John Swinney to “move aside”. A recent poll showed Mr Sarwar’s party on course for its worst Holyrood result since devolution following unpopular decisions taken by Sir Keir Starmer and his UK government.

In a speech stacked with policy announcements, Mr Sarwar said he would make clearing the NHS backlog and cutting waiting times “our day one priority”, adding: “Be in no doubt as first minister I will do whatever it takes to fix our NHS.”

He said SNP ministers were “addicted to wasting your money”, pointing to examples such as the ferries scandal.

“As first minister, I will respect every penny of your money,” he told the conference. “That’s why we will have our own Department of Government Efficiency to stop the waste and deliver value for money for you, the taxpayer.”

Mr Sarwar said he would make sure “every Scot can reach their potential”.

He said teachers “are working in fear and anxiety as physical attacks on staff have skyrocketed”, while “staff are noticing the attention spans of our pupils shortening”. Bullying is “once more on the rise”, he said.

Mr Sarwar added: “There are hundreds of sickening examples of vicious attacks filmed on mobile phones and spread on social media channels, meaning there is not just the trauma of the violence itself, but the violation of dignity that comes from cyberbullying.

“There can never be a repeat of the sickening attack that took place in Waid Academy in Fife when a young girl was viciously attacked by a fellow pupil in a classroom while the entire ordeal was filmed on a mobile phone.

“More and more pupils are feeling unsafe in our classrooms. The mental health of our young people is being undermined – with catastrophic results. This has to end.

“That’s why, as first minister, I will ban mobile phones in classrooms and make schools safe, calm places for learning again.”

It is understood this ban would take the form of guidance issued to schools, rather than new legislation. “The guidance at the moment allows head teachers to do it, we would instruct them to do it,” said a source.

Mr Sarwar said ending the housing crisis would be a key priority for his government, and promised the “largest housebuilding programme in decades”.

He said: “Just last year, some 242 Scots lost their lives while homeless and sleeping rough. That is a damning indictment on government failure. So as first minister, I will end rough sleeping in Scotland once and for all.”

He added: “As first minister, the national effort I lead will use all the powers at Scotland’s disposal to end poverty.”

Elsewhere, he pledged to introduce an “Amazon Tax” to make online giants “pay their fair share”.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said: “Anas Sarwar came into this Labour conference on shaky ground amidst mounting questions about his future as Labour in Scotland leader - and today's lacklustre speech has done nothing to strengthen his position.

"His speech would have benefited from an apology for the litany of broken promises he and Keir Starmer used to get elected - to the workers at Grangemouth, to households struggling with energy bills, to the pensioners who have had their winter hearing support cut, and to the Waspi women that Labour betrayed.

“Labour under Anas Sarwar and Keir Starmer are in complete disarray, breaking promise after promise and seeing their support plummet as polls suggest they are locked in a battle for second place with Nigel Farage. It is no wonder the sharks are beginning to circle around the Labour leader.

“While Anas Sarwar and Keir Starmer flail from disaster to disaster, under John Swinney’s leadership the SNP is resolutely focused on the issues that matter to the people of Scotland – investing in and improving our NHS, taking action to tackle the cost of living by bringing back universal winter heating support and supporting jobs and economic growth.”

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Labour have broken so many promises since the general election that who could trust a word Anas Sarwar says. They promised not to axe winter fuel payments for pensioners or not to hike National Insurance, but Keir Starmer did it anyway, so Scots simply won’t believe him.

“He promises a new direction, but Scottish Labour have been part of Holyrood’s cosy left-wing consensus that has failed Scotland for over 25 years. Anas Sarwar helped Nicola Sturgeon pass her flawed gender reform Bill and backed Humza Yousaf’s Hate Crime Act, which showed how detached he is from the real world.

“Only the Scottish Conservatives, under Russell Findlay’s leadership, are standing up for those who just want politicians to show some common sense for a change and are holding this rotten SNP Government to account.”

The Greens strongly criticised the idea of setting up a Scottish DOGE. Lorna Slater, the party’s co-leader, said: “How Anas Sarwar can look at what’s happening in America under Donald Trump and think it should be replicated here in Scotland absolutely boggles the mind.”