Anas Sarwar's fairy-tale promises risk repeating SNP's delivery mistakes

Anas Sarwar’s big policy promised risk Scottish Labour being consumed by one of the SNP’s biggest problems before they’ve even entered office - a failure to deliver.

He promised “big, bold meaningful change” but Anas Sarwar’s pitch to the public for John Swinney to “step aside” and let him take change risks falling flat if those vows cannot be delivered.

Several of the pledges made by the Scottish Labour leader, in front of a packed and upbeat conference audience in Glasgow, are almost impossible to be achieved, for all the will in the world.

Anas Sarwar, delivering his Scottish Labour conference speech | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

An ambition to end the “8am rush” for a GP appointment and guarantee appointments within 48 hours will ring true with a lot of Scots frustrated at the state of the NHS. But the Royal College of GPs has already rubbished that concept, warning that without a root and branch overhaul, it would be “almost impossible to deliver”.

But the fairy-tale promises don’t end with the NHS.

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

Mr Sarwar proudly pledged to “end rough sleeping in Scotland once and for all”.

Ending rough sleeping is not a promise any politician can realistically make. It was almost eradicated during the pandemic, due to being able to use hotel accommodation. But some rough sleepers face such complex needs that they cannot or do not want to access support, no matter how good it is.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson clarified the promise, suggesting it was about providing enough accommodation to shelter all rough sleepers.

But Mr Sarwar unashamedly vowing to end rough sleeping if he becomes the next first minister looks like a panic following his party slumping in the polls since last year’s general election.

Read more: Patients could be sent to England or private hospitals for treatment under Labour

One Holyrood figure from another political party told me that the bold and potentially unachievable policy ideas “look more like a party preparing for opposition and having no responsibility to follow through”, rather than a government in waiting.

When Sir Keir Starmer, who Mr Sarwar only mentioned once in his keynote address, came to power, the Scottish Labour leader was on course to secure the second part of a double victory by teeing himself up to enter Bute House in May 2026.

But a series of policy slumps from his Westminster colleagues have put that ambition on the ropes. Instead of being the favourite, Mr Sarwar used his speech to starkly stress that in order to win the election next year, he will have to “defy the odds”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar

Mr Sarwar has also had to contend with John Swinney having steadied the SNP ship - and has given his party a real chance of retaining power next year.

But the Scottish Labour leader warned that steadying the ship was “not enough” as he boldly called on Mr Swinney to “move aside” and hand over the keys to Bute House.

Earlier Ian Murray got half a laugh when he introduced himself as “previous occupation, one man band, current occupation, secretary of state for Scotland”, but had very little we haven’t heard before from Scotland’s man in the UK government.

One Labour figure concluded that Mr Murray is “the best after-dinner speaker we have”. It’s hard to argue with that.

Read more: Labour vow to bring professional role models into Scottish classrooms to prepare pupils for work

Mr Sarwar has made a bold pitch to voters - setting out big and attractive promises that could help his chances at the election.

With the SNP focusing on delivery over the next 15 months, Scottish Labour should be wary of overpromising - given they have been so quick off the mark to pull apart the Scottish Government for doing precisely that.