Yousaf and Sarwar bid to win support from opposing sides of constitutional divide

Party leader Anas Sarwar will kick off Labour’s 2024 campaigning ahead of the general election

Humza Yousaf and Anas Sarwar will today kick off their general election campaigns by bidding to win over support from opposing sides of Scotland’s constitutional divide.

The First Minister and SNP leader say those who oppose independence should not be dismissed, while his Scottish Labour opponent will set out to win the votes of those in favour of leaving the UK.

The two party leaders will begin their 2024 campaigning after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed there will be a general election in the second half of this year.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Image: John Devlin/National World.

With recent polls suggesting the nationalists losing ground to Labour, SNP MP Tommy Sheppard raised the stakes further yesterday by saying the debate on independence will stop if his party loses its majority in Scotland.

At Glasgow University, Mr Yousaf will make the first in a series of speeches about Scotland’s economy.

He is expected to say: “There will be those who will never support independence.

“That doesn’t mean those people should be dismissed - far from it.

First Minister Humza Yousaf

“There is much to learn from an opposing perspective and we can all still engage, even if to disagree, respectfully.

“There will be others who are sympathetic to independence but who are not yet persuaded or who don’t think this is the right time.

“It is my argument that independence is urgent.

“It is urgent precisely because the cost-of-living is top of people’s concerns, because it is through independence, and in particular the powerful combination of independence and EU membership, that we can raise living standards.”

He will say there is a “case for optimism” due to Scotland’s “extraordinary resources” such as renewable energy and higher education.

Mr Yousaf will also detail Scotland’s capabilities in other areas such as the food and drink sector and the financial sector, and compare Scotland’s potential economic outlook to Ireland, Norway and Denmark.

And he will say the “prize of independence” will be Scottish families being £10,200 better off by leaving the UK.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarwar will be in Rutherglen to urge pro-independence voters to support his party to overthrow the Conservatives at Westminster.

His speech will take place in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency, where Michael Shanks MP triumphed at last year’s by-election to bring the number of Scottish Labour MPs from one to two. The party enjoyed a swing of more than 20 per cent to win with a majority of almost 9,500.

In his New Year speech, Mr Sarwar will urge Scots to back Labour “regardless of how they voted before”.

He is expected to say: “I don’t care how you voted in the past.

“Scottish Labour under my leadership refuses to turn our backs on anybody in Scotland.

“We are the only party in this country trying to persuade anyone and to unify it around change.

“So let me say to those that may have supported independence in the past, and may even consider it in the future - I don’t support independence, and I don’t support a referendum, but I accept that we need change right now.

“We may ultimately disagree on the final destination for Scotland, but on this part of the journey, let’s unite to change our country and get rid of this Tory government.

“Give us the opportunity to show you that we can make the UK work for every corner of our country, including here in Scotland.”

He will also dub 2024 a “momentous year in the history of British and Scottish politics”.

Mr Sarwar will add: “It can be the year of change, our opportunity for change after 13 years of failure under the Tories.

“But after 16 years of decline and incompetence, it is a chance to turn the page on the SNP too.”

The Scottish Conservatives said Mr Sarwar has come to the conclusion that the SNP is damaging for Scotland “alarmingly late”.

Party chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: “Mr Sarwar predictably ignores the fact that in a host of seats across Scotland, the only way to get rid of the toxic SNP is to vote for the Scottish Conservative Party, which remains the only party committed to providing robust opposition in Holyrood while remaining focused on people’s real priorities.”

In a sign of the concern within the SNP at the rise in support for Scottish Labour, Edinburgh East MP Mr Sheppard said the independence debate must stop if the SNP does no win the majority of Scottish seats at the general election.

The party previously agreed that winning the majority of seats will be a mandate to give democratic effect to independence.

Mr Sheppard wrote in the Sunday National urging Scots not to flock to Labour to ensure the Conservatives lose the election.

He said: “We need to be very clear with the electorate, this year’s vote is about whether the journey continues, whether we can create circumstances to move towards our independence.

“And with a corrupt first-past-the-post system, the only way to do that is to vote SNP.

“If the SNP lose the election in Scotland, the debate on independence stops.

“That is why we must put aside our differences and unite.”

Pro-unionist campaign group Scotland in Union are now urging the SNP to listen to Mr Sheppard’s words.

Chief Executive Pamela Nash said: “Tommy Sheppard is right, the SNP should listen when it is rejected at the ballot box, but we all know that the SNP will never end its divisive and negative attempts to separate us.

“Trying to make the forthcoming election campaign all about the constitution shows that the SNP has nothing else to offer the people of Scotland.

“This election should be about the issues that really matter to voters such as the cost-of-living crisis, jobs, and the climate emergency.”