Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has insisted claims he could do a deal with Reform UK to oust the SNP in May’s Holyrood election are “utter nonsense”.
Mr Sarwar blasted the “poisonous” politics of Nigel Farage’s party, and insisted its Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord, is a “chronic liar”.
The attack came after Lord Offord used a TV election debate to claim that Mr Sarwar had approached him about the prospect of the two parties working together to remove the SNP from power in Scotland.
The Reform Scottish leader – a former Conservative UK government minister – claimed that Mr Sarwar had come “bouncing up to me in Paisley Town Hall” at and had suggested “we need to work together, Reform and Labour, to remove the SNP”.
Afterwards, SNP campaign director Angus Robertson claimed it showed that “Anas Sarwar is in cahoots with Nigel Farage and would happily work with Reform if it gave him a whiff of power”.
Mr Robertson added: “That should show people in Scotland just how desperate Sarwar and Labour are.”
Mr Sarwar, however, speaking as he campaigned in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, rejected Lord Offord’s claims in the strongest terms.
Speaking to the Press Association, the Scottish Labour leader said: “I am desperately keen to change the government in this country, I am desperately keen to change the first minister.
“But I am also desperately keen that we utterly reject the poison of Malcolm Offord, Nigel Farage and Reform.
“I want Reform to get absolutely hammered in this election so they realise their brand of poisonous politics is not welcome here.”
Mr Sarwar said “of course” he was surprised by Lord Offord’s claims “and also angry”.
“I think you can see I was visibly angry on the stage, because it is utter nonsense,” he added.
Speaking about Reform’s adverts – one of which Mr Sarwar claimed had questioned his loyalty to Scotland, while another showed a small boat and claimed Glasgow had been “overrun” by migrants – the Scottish Labour leader insisted these showed Reform were “not people I would want to work with, be in cahoots with, do a deal with”.
He turned on Lord Offord, insisting he “is a chronic liar” and branding him “a pathetic, poisonous, odious, little man”.
Mr Sarwar said: “I want us to reject the poison of Reform but I also want us to have bigger ambitions for our great country, and that means fixing the NHS, it means making life more affordable, it means building a better future for our young people.”
Speaking to voters he added: “This election is an opportunity to reject Reform, beat the SNP and to change Scotland and the only route to do that is to vote for me and Scottish Labour.”
Mr Sarwar continued: “Let me be unequivocal, no deals, no stitch-ups, no coalitions. Nothing with Reform before the election, after the election. These are a poisonous group of people that want to divide our country.
“And the fact that (First Minister) John Swinney says you can’t trust a word this man says unless he is saying something bad about me, tells you everything you need to know about John Swinney, too.
“Our politics should be better than this.”
Speaking to the Press Association during a visit to Maybole, South Ayrshire, Mr Swinney said: “I think it’s up to Reform and Labour to explain themselves, because a charge was made last night.
“The assurance I can give to the public in Scotland is that the best way to lock Reform out of any influence in our governance is to elect a majority SNP government.
“I want to be crystal clear, I will have absolutely nothing to do with co-operating with Reform.”
Put to him that the Scottish Labour leader has been robust in his denial of any such conversation, the First Minister pointed to reporting in The Scotsman newspaper last month from a senior Labour source suggesting Reform MSPs could put Anas Sarwar in Bute House.
“There’s been various media comments made and various media articles suggested some degree of co-operation between Reform and Labour to enable a Labour first minister to be elected.”
He added: “That’s why I say it’s up to Labour and Reform to explain themselves.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said her party would “never do any kind of deal with Reform”, as she called on other parties to make the same commitment.
Ms Mackay said: “Any government that relied on Reform to get into power would be a disaster for Scotland.
“Labour supporters across the country would be shocked if they did any deals with a party like Reform or relied on the votes of Reform MSPs to take power.”
