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| Scottish Labour candidate Anas Sarwar laughs off 'neoliberal Blairite' tag | Scottish Labour candidate Anas Sarwar laughs off 'neoliberal Blairite' tag |
| (14 days later) | |
| Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leadership hopeful, has said it is “laughable” for his critics in the party to describe him as a neoliberal Blairite. | Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leadership hopeful, has said it is “laughable” for his critics in the party to describe him as a neoliberal Blairite. |
| Sarwar, one of two candidates to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader, said he had a long track record attacking Tony Blair’s most contentious foreign policy decisions, despite allegations he was the rightwing candidate for the post. | Sarwar, one of two candidates to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader, said he had a long track record attacking Tony Blair’s most contentious foreign policy decisions, despite allegations he was the rightwing candidate for the post. |
| Describing himself as a “Brownite” who supported Gordon Brown during the Blair years, Sarwar said attacking someone for being a Blairite had now become a lazy smear within Labour. “The idea that I’m a Blairite is laughable,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. | Describing himself as a “Brownite” who supported Gordon Brown during the Blair years, Sarwar said attacking someone for being a Blairite had now become a lazy smear within Labour. “The idea that I’m a Blairite is laughable,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. |
| “I have seen myself described as a rightwing neoliberal Blairite. Let’s just put that into context: I have not served a single day in the New Labour years in frontline politics. | “I have seen myself described as a rightwing neoliberal Blairite. Let’s just put that into context: I have not served a single day in the New Labour years in frontline politics. |
| “I’m a person who was a young man in the west of Scotland of a Muslim background who was in the Labour party when we went to war in Iraq – a monumental mistake, which I protested against at the time. We were introducing 90-day terror detention laws which were perceived to be attacking the very community I was a part of. | “I’m a person who was a young man in the west of Scotland of a Muslim background who was in the Labour party when we went to war in Iraq – a monumental mistake, which I protested against at the time. We were introducing 90-day terror detention laws which were perceived to be attacking the very community I was a part of. |
| “It wasn’t an easy time to be in the Labour party. And for those of us who were speaking out against our own government at the time, it wasn’t very easy for us. So this attack of being a Blairite is simply untrue.” | “It wasn’t an easy time to be in the Labour party. And for those of us who were speaking out against our own government at the time, it wasn’t very easy for us. So this attack of being a Blairite is simply untrue.” |
| Sarwar’s personal and political background has emerged as the dominant theme in the week since he and Richard Leonard, his leftwing rival for the leadership, first confirmed they were standing. The contest has quickly become a proxy for the battle for control of the UK party between Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters and his opponents. | Sarwar’s personal and political background has emerged as the dominant theme in the week since he and Richard Leonard, his leftwing rival for the leadership, first confirmed they were standing. The contest has quickly become a proxy for the battle for control of the UK party between Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters and his opponents. |
| Now 34, Sarwar first entered politics in 2010, standing for Labour in the Glasgow Central seat just vacated by his father Mohammed Sarwar, leading to allegations of a dynastic succession. | Now 34, Sarwar first entered politics in 2010, standing for Labour in the Glasgow Central seat just vacated by his father Mohammed Sarwar, leading to allegations of a dynastic succession. |
| His opponents have attacked his decision to send his children to the same fee-paying school in Glasgow that he attended, Hutcheson Grammar, and his minority shareholding in his family’s cash and carry business after it emerged the firm only paid the legal minimum wage and had not become unionised. | His opponents have attacked his decision to send his children to the same fee-paying school in Glasgow that he attended, Hutcheson Grammar, and his minority shareholding in his family’s cash and carry business after it emerged the firm only paid the legal minimum wage and had not become unionised. |
| Sarwar lost his Westminster seat in the 2015 general election rout by the Scottish National party, but won a Glasgow regional list seat at Holyrood last year. He said he had not drawn any income from his shareholding in United Wholesales (Scotland), the family firm, since becoming an MSP. | Sarwar lost his Westminster seat in the 2015 general election rout by the Scottish National party, but won a Glasgow regional list seat at Holyrood last year. He said he had not drawn any income from his shareholding in United Wholesales (Scotland), the family firm, since becoming an MSP. |
| The attacks on him because of his brothers’ business decisions were a “pretence”, he said. He backed Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a £10 national living wage, public ownership of the railways, higher taxation for the rich and tougher laws on basic wages and employment rights | The attacks on him because of his brothers’ business decisions were a “pretence”, he said. He backed Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a £10 national living wage, public ownership of the railways, higher taxation for the rich and tougher laws on basic wages and employment rights |
| “I have never had an active role in the company,” he said. “I’m not a director, I have never been a director. I accept questions have been raised but I think my policy positions are completely consistent with my politics and my beliefs. | “I have never had an active role in the company,” he said. “I’m not a director, I have never been a director. I accept questions have been raised but I think my policy positions are completely consistent with my politics and my beliefs. |
| “I don’t believe that the market should decide people’s pay. I think that should be for the government. That’s why I support a real living wage; that’s why I supported the minimum wage before.” | “I don’t believe that the market should decide people’s pay. I think that should be for the government. That’s why I support a real living wage; that’s why I supported the minimum wage before.” |
| Sarwar and Leonard face their first major test on Wedneday evening in the first hustings of the leadership contest, at the Royal Concert hall in Glasgow. Both candidates, who describe themselves as friends, have exchanged coded criticisms of each other’s candidacies. | Sarwar and Leonard face their first major test on Wedneday evening in the first hustings of the leadership contest, at the Royal Concert hall in Glasgow. Both candidates, who describe themselves as friends, have exchanged coded criticisms of each other’s candidacies. |
| Leonard argues he would be a far more credible Scottish leader for the Corbyn era, since he has consistently supported Corbyn’s politics in his 25 years in the labour movement. | Leonard argues he would be a far more credible Scottish leader for the Corbyn era, since he has consistently supported Corbyn’s politics in his 25 years in the labour movement. |
| Sarwar implied at his campaign launch only he would win elections since he could put Scottish Labour back into power in Edinburgh, rather than lead a party of protest. | Sarwar implied at his campaign launch only he would win elections since he could put Scottish Labour back into power in Edinburgh, rather than lead a party of protest. |
| Leonard’s supporters privately accuse Sarwar of being a careerist who had last year signed a letter opposing Corbyn’s bid for reelection as Labour leader but this year has embraced Corbyn, helping organise a capacity speaking event for him in Glasgow. | Leonard’s supporters privately accuse Sarwar of being a careerist who had last year signed a letter opposing Corbyn’s bid for reelection as Labour leader but this year has embraced Corbyn, helping organise a capacity speaking event for him in Glasgow. |
| Sarwar said it was unfair to use his family’s choice of school to attack his integrity. “I didn’t use my children as a political pawn,” he said. “The decision I took with my wife of where to send my children to school wasn’t political positioning; my wife and I made a decision, as a couple, about what we thought was best for our children. | Sarwar said it was unfair to use his family’s choice of school to attack his integrity. “I didn’t use my children as a political pawn,” he said. “The decision I took with my wife of where to send my children to school wasn’t political positioning; my wife and I made a decision, as a couple, about what we thought was best for our children. |
| “I accept some people will find that uncomfortable but that’s the honest answer … fundamentally why I’m in the Labour party is I don’t accept that inequality is something we can’t change, and the reality is too many of our schools simply aren’t good enough.” | “I accept some people will find that uncomfortable but that’s the honest answer … fundamentally why I’m in the Labour party is I don’t accept that inequality is something we can’t change, and the reality is too many of our schools simply aren’t good enough.” |
| Sarwar claimed that his decision to stand for the “most difficult job in British politics”, leading Scottish Labour back into power after an unbroken series of election defeats over the last decade, proved he was committed to what the party stood for. | Sarwar claimed that his decision to stand for the “most difficult job in British politics”, leading Scottish Labour back into power after an unbroken series of election defeats over the last decade, proved he was committed to what the party stood for. |
| “I think it’s absolutely fair for people to ask me questions about my own personal choices, both in my political and personal life,” Sarwar said. That comes with the territory. | “I think it’s absolutely fair for people to ask me questions about my own personal choices, both in my political and personal life,” Sarwar said. That comes with the territory. |
| “What I’m not willing to accept, and what I will robustly challenge, is anyone questioning where I belong. I belong in the Labour party. I’m someone who is a product of the Labour party and in particular of the Glasgow Labour family.” | “What I’m not willing to accept, and what I will robustly challenge, is anyone questioning where I belong. I belong in the Labour party. I’m someone who is a product of the Labour party and in particular of the Glasgow Labour family.” |