Anas Sarwar will learn lessons from Andy Burnham and other governments across Europe and the United States as Scottish Labour plan to “rejuvenate Scotland’s national, regional and local governments”.

Anas Sarwar will harness the success of Andy Burnham and learn from governments across Europe and the United States as Labour draw up plans to “do devolution better” if they win power at the 2026 Holyrood election.

The Scottish Labour leader has hit out at the SNP’s 17 years in government, accusing ministers of a “sucking up of local power” and claiming the nation as a concept of independence has taken priority over the needs of local communities.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham (Photo: John Devlin).

Labour is set to make pushing power away from Holyrood a key part of their pitch to Scotland at the 2026 election and the party is looking to the mayor of Greater Manchester for inspiration as to how devolved powers could be used more effectively in Scotland.

The 2026 election is by no means in the bag for Mr Sarwar, with polls indicating the SNP and Labour are currently neck-and-neck with some 16 months until voters go to the ballot box.

Mr Sarwar visited Germany in October to meet energy company, EnBW, to investigate how a Labour Scottish Government could better take advantage of big energy projects that are attracted to investing in Scotland.

The Scottish Labour leader is poised to visit other parts of the globe in the coming months to learn lessons from other devolved and federal governments that could be applied to Holyrood.

Mr Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, won praise standing up for his region when stricter restrictions were imposed compared to the rest of England during the pandemic - with the former UK minister leading the charge for more funding from Westminster.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham

Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, Mr Sarwar said: “Andy and all our mayors are doing a fantastic job representing their local communities.

“One of the things during the pandemic that I felt acutely was when there was added restrictions put on Greater Manchester but not the resources to back it up, people remember that scene outside the City Chambers in Manchester where the local authority leaders and Andy Burnham were standing on the front of the steps demanding additional resources from the government.

“When Glasgow and the surrounding areas were put under more stricter conditions than the rest of Scotland, where was Glasgow’s voice and where was Glasgow’s champion, demanding resources for the city of Glasgow?”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He added: “We have got to change that approach.

“Somehow this sucking up of local power, all to pursue national identity, has been unhelpful to local communities.

“We are finally going to break that and push power out of Holyrood and into the regions of Scotland, the cities of Scotland.”

Scottish Labour is keen to roll out regional mayors in Scotland, despite local government body, Cosla, remaining nervous about the prospect.

But the strategy would not simply be about giving communities in Scotland a strong voice. Mr Sarwar’s inner circle are also keen to take inspiration from Mr Burnham’s ability to get things done and solve some of the biggest policy issues.

A senior Scottish Labour source said that Mr Burnham was a “good model for political delivery”, adding that learning from their colleague south of the Border was “certainly a good starting point for doing devolution better”.

But they added that “there’s no one size fits all approach”, suggesting that more remote parts of Scotland would have a tailored solution to Labour’s need to "rejuvenate Scotland’s national, regional and local governments”.

Mr Burnham has ambitious plans to build 75,000 new homes by 2029 with a centralised and streamlined planning system expected to encourage developers to invest in the region.

Greater Manchester is the first place in England outside of London to re-take control of its buses after nearly 40 years of deregulation, with the launch of the Bee Network, which has a fares cap to encourage people back onto public transport.

Andy Burnham has launched the Bee Network | TfGM

Plans have been drawn up for Glasgow and the west of Scotland for a similar public transport model, but Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has warned it could take seven years to set up while £45m would be needed in additional funding each year.

Radical plans unveiled by Labour Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner last month would hand English mayors new powers across devolved policy areas such as strategic planning, housing, transport and skills.

Scottish Labour are also hoping to learn from their regional mayor for the West Midlands, Richard Parker, over his transport plans, while mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Nik Johnson’s strategy to push forward technology and research and development projects will also be examined.

The Scottish Labour insider added: “We know we will need to hit the ground running with fresh ideas and being able to solve major policy issues that would work for the Scottish Government.”

Scottish Labour has previously set out plans to set up an office for economic development at the heart of the first minister’s office.

Gordon Brown’s research for the commission of the UK’s future suggested that it was crucial for Labour to enhance devolution in Scotland to combat the independence pitch from the SNP - but there is not expected to be new powers for Holyrood.

The blueprint suggests that “a future Labour government in Scotland can deliver new social and economic measures more rapidly and with much less risk and upfront cost than the SNP's current prospectus for independence”.

It points to “enhanced access to economic resources for Scotland”, suggesting that “the British Regional Investment Bank should maximise support for innovation and investment in Scotland, in conjunction with the Scottish National Investment Bank and the European Investment Bank”.

But the SNP has stressed that during its time in power, the Scottish Government has pushed power to communities from Holyrood.

SNP MSP Keith Brown said: “Unlike Labour, the SNP government has devolved significant powers to Scottish Local Authorities, giving them more autonomy in areas including public transport, short-term lets, and tourism levies.

“Since coming to power, Labour has not returned a single power to Scotland - including those effectively removed by the Tories' Internal Market Act.

“Labour are determined to ensure that Scotland cannot pursue a better path on immigration, employment law, and the deposit return scheme – or even have the right to decide on independence via a fair and agreed referendum.”

He added: “When Labour say they will push powers out of Holyrood, they don’t mean handing them to Scottish local authorities – they mean sending them back to Westminster.”

Scottish Conservative shadow finance and local government secretary, Craig Hoy, added: “The SNP’s constant undermining of councils has damaged local services and communities, but Anas Sarwar is kidding no one with the claim Labour will fix matters.

“Not only has Sir Keir Starmer’s government managed to raise taxes, cut welfare and tank the economy in a matter of months, but Scottish Labour MSPs have continually lined up to back the SNP on some of their most damaging policies.

“The common sense way to give households and communities more power is to reduce their taxes, cut wasteful spending and focus on the real priorities.”

Exclusive:Anas Sarwar to harness Andy Burnham to 'do devolution better' if Labour win power in 2026

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