Anas Sarwar calls Scottish Labour leadership the hardest job in British politics

Anas Sarwar said leading Scottish Labour was the hardest job in British politics, during an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe on 28 July 2026. It was his first public appearance since resigning as an MSP and as leader of the party, a role he held for more than five years. He stepped down after Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered him a peerage and appointed him as a trade minister in the UK Government.

Sarwar made the remarks to comedian Matt Forde, saying he had heard people describe leading the UK Labour Party in opposition as the hardest job in British politics. He disagreed, calling the Scottish Labour leadership harder. He said the party had struggled to communicate its vision during the spring election campaign, which was overshadowed by international news and a scandal involving former Labour strategist Peter Mandelson. Labour won 17 seats in the May 2026 Scottish Parliament election, its worst result since 2003.

Three MSPs, Michael Marra, Joe Fagan and Monica Lennon, are competing to replace Sarwar. He declined to endorse any candidate but warned them against public infighting. He said the next leader would need the support of all 17 Labour MSPs to rebuild the party’s relationship with voters. Sarwar also said he was still "heartbroken" over the election result, as reported by the Daily Record.

The left-rated reports led on Sarwar’s claim that leading Scottish Labour was the hardest job in British politics. The Daily Record and the Glasgow Times quoted his full remark: "Honestly, hand on heart, because I’ve done it for five years, the hardest job in British politics is being the leader of the Scottish Labour Party." Both reports also carried his admission that the party had failed to "cut through" during the election campaign, and his warning to the leadership candidates to avoid infighting.

The Daily Record reported that Sarwar was still "heartbroken" over the election result, and that he had wanted to become First Minister. The Herald Scotland’s digest mentioned Sarwar defending his move to the House of Lords amid infighting in the party. The Scotsman’s digest noted that his resignation had caused "outrage" among party members. The Independent and the Irish News digests both reported that he had stood down after being made a government minister and sent to the Lords.

The centre-rated reports also led on Sarwar’s claim about the difficulty of leading Scottish Labour. The Glasgow Times quoted his remark that the job was "the hardest job in the world." The National’s digest reported that he had warned leadership contenders against infighting. The Evening Standard’s digest, like the Independent’s, stated that he had stood down after being made a government minister and sent to the Lords.

No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests from the left or centre mentioned that Sarwar denied being offered the position of Secretary of State for Scotland, as reported by the Daily Record. The cost of the leadership contest and the timeline for selecting a new leader were also not mentioned in any of the reports.