Swinney signed off on ‘every disastrous decision’ of Government, says Sarwar

John Swinney’s political career has been branded a “catastrophic failure”, Anas Sarwar has claimed, as he accused the First Minister of signing off on “almost every disastrous decision” made in Government.

The broadside comes as SNP members will meet for the final time ahead of May’s election.

The party remains well ahead in first place in the polls, with Labour and Reform battling for second place.

But on Saturday, the Scottish Labour leader hit out at the First Minister’s near-30-year political career as an elected politician.

Mr Sarwar said Mr Swinney – who has served twice as SNP leader, as well as deputy first minister, education secretary, finance secretary and Covid recovery secretary before taking the top job – failed to close the attainment gap between the richest and poorest pupils, did not dual the A9, approved the funding for the late and over-budget ferries at Ferguson Marine, and has not replaced council tax, despite repeated promises to do so.

The Scottish Labour leader said: “John Swinney has signed off on almost every disastrous decision the SNP has made in government over the past 20 years – whether that has been as Finance Secretary, Deputy First Minister, or as SNP leader.

“The truth is that his political career has been a catastrophic failure, with our public services worse off as a result of the SNP’s appalling record, of which he has played a key role.

“Absurdly, the man who broke Scotland is now trying to make out that he can offer the people of Scotland a ‘fresh start’. This is either completely delusional, or deeply dishonest.”

The First Minister is “stuck in the past”, Mr Sarwar said, but has “failed to come up with any solutions to tackle the problems we face”.

“If he had any ideas about how to bolster our NHS, strengthen our public services, or grow our economy, we would have seen them by now,” he added.

“Instead, we have a rising number of people forking out for private healthcare, public services that simply don’t work, and a stagnant economy in which workers in Scotland pay more than their counterparts in England.

“The only party that is offering change to people at the Scottish Parliament election is Scottish Labour. We will end the SNP’s failure and waste, fix the basics, and deliver a Scotland that works for everyone.”

The SNP has been contacted for comment.