Swinney is a bluffer who will be ‘found out’ like Tisdale and Thelwell – Sarwar

John Swinney is a “bluffer” who will be “found out” at the Holyrood election, the leader of Scottish Labour has said, as he compared the First Minister to unpopular leadership figures at Celtic and Rangers.

Anas Sarwar likened the SNP leader to Paul Tisdale, who left his role as head of football operations at Celtic after new manager Wilfried Nancy was sacked earlier this week, and former sporting director of Rangers, Kevin Thelwell, who was sacked in November.

Mr Sarwar said following the two men’s departure, Mr Swinney would be the next “bluffer” to be “found out”.

Speaking to the Press Association, the Scottish Labour leader also said he understood that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the UK Government were unpopular but said that the election was about Scotland, not Westminster.

He said the best thing Sir Keir could do is “be behind his door, at his desk, improving consequences and outcomes for people across the country”.

During a visit to City of Glasgow College, Mr Sarwar accused the First Minster of using independence as a shield to distract from his party’s record in power.

Asked whether he accepted that an SNP majority would count as a mandate for a second independence referendum, Mr Sarwar said the party would lose the next election.

He said of the First Minister: “John Swinney is bluffing. He is a bluffer.

“This election is not about whether the SNP wins a majority or not, it’s whether the SNP stays in government or not.

“This is the year the bluffers are going to get found out.

“Two bluffers have already been found out, whether it’s (Paul) Tisdale or (Kevin) Thelwell, they were found out, and the next bluffer that’s going to get found out is John Swinney.”

Pressed again on whether he accepted such a mandate, he insisted he would “remove” the SNP from office at the May election, despite his party currently polling third place behind Reform UK.

He told PA: “What I’m saying to you is, my job is not to commentate on politics.

“My job is to try and persuade people of my politics, my arguments, and to try and win an election in four months’ time.

“The reality is if Nicola Sturgeon – when the SNP was above 50% in the polls and when her approval ratings were at plus 50% during the pandemic – couldn’t win a majority, the idea that no energy, no ideas, no leadership John Swinney is going to do it is for the birds. He’s a bluffer.”

Amid newspaper reports that Scottish Labour MPs are unhappy with Sir Keir, Mr Sarwar said the Prime Minister was doing “a good job” on “many measures”.

“But do I accept that the UK Government and the Prime Minister are unpopular with the public right now? Yes, I do.”

He added: “The best thing that Keir Starmer can do is be behind his door, at his desk, improving consequences and outcomes for people across the country.

“I’m leading this campaign – I’m our candidate for First Minister.

“Keir Starmer is not standing to be First Minister. Rachel Reeves is not standing to be First Minister. Nigel Farage is not standing to be First Minister.

“There are only two people explicitly standing to be First Minister in this country: that’s me and John Swinney.

“That’s the choice, that’s the debate, and that’s the campaign I relish.”

SNP MSP George Adam said: “With leadership plots, infighting and name-calling, the start of the new year has seen a continuation of the chaos which has come to characterise Labour’s time in office.

“Having blundered his way through a series of excruciating interviews this week, Anas Sarwar has a brass neck to call anyone else a bluffer.

“I watched St Mirren defeat Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic team in the Premier Sports Cup Final in December, and with each passing day, Sarwar looks every bit as hapless as Nancy did in the dugout. Although even Nancy never slumped as low as fourth place.”