Labour is Eating Itself

When the final bill for Anas Sarwar’s Fake Zamdani campaign for First Minister comes in, it is likely to be eye-watering. And if opinion polls are correct, a complete waste of money.

Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco over at the Herald reports this week that Scottish Labour were in receipt of £553,635.62 in the fourth quarter of 2025. The big backers were the Easdales (£150,000 cash donation in December) and the wee ones were some unions, GMB (£5,300). If you want another snapshot of where Labour is at, and who it represents, there it is, right there.

Here’s another snapshot. A memo from Keir Starmer to all members of the UK Gov Cabinet has been leaked by the Welsh journalist Will Hayward.

In it the Prime Minister says:

“Each of us will maintain a professional and respectful working relationship with our counterparts in devolved governments” but that “an overly deferential or laissez-faire approach to devolved government engagement almost inevitably creates political challenges or misses positive opportunities”.

He then adds: “We should be confident in our ability to deliver directly in those nations, including through direct spending, even when devolved governments may oppose this.”

This is a direct attack on the principle of devolution, a devolution settlement that Labour themselves created. This is an electoral bombshell.

One senior figure within Welsh Labour messaged Hayward to say: “The arrogance and sense of superiority just drips out of it.”

Another put it: “There we have it in black and white. Starmer’s own version of Boris Johnson’s muscular unionism. This is a direct assault on the democratic views of devolved Governments. Labour is now actively working against the interests of Wales in order to protect its own self-interest.”

Some questions need to be answered.

Where does this leave Sarwar’s one-man campaign to be First Minister? Does it suggest that Starmer would just bypass Sarwar if he was in Bute House, or is his contempt for the institutions his party created reserved for when other parties are elected?

Does Anas Sarwar support the undermining of Devolution?

Which areas of devolved power is the Prime Minister aiming to bypass, and under what constitutional authority?

At the bottom of Donald Dewar’s statue at the top of Buchanan Street it reads “There shall be a Scottish Parliament.” Now it looks as if, unable to be elected to lead that parliament they are reduced to undermining it. What a disgrace.