AFTER calling the House of Lords a place which “must be abolished and replaced with an institution which better reflects the makeup and identity of the UK”, the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, is said to be on the point of accepting a peerage.
Although as yet unconfirmed, with a title Sarwar could become a minister in Andy Burnham’s cabinet. The BBC say he could become a business minister, and The Times report that he will be a “minister in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade”.
He was spotted in the front row at Congress House on Friday when Andy Burnham became Labour leader.
Anas Sarwar is a regional list MSP, so there would be no by-election required, as the next person on the Labour list would simply take his seat in Holyrood. That person is understood to be Monica Lennon, who was previously an MSP for Central Scotland for a decade. She lost her seat in 2026 in the rout of Labour MSPs under Sarwar’s leadership.
Anas Sarwar called upon Keir Starmer to resign in February before the election in a move which many judged to be a self-inflicted faux pas.
Just yesterday Mr Sarwar welcomed Andy Burnham as the new Prime Minister saying: “Congratulations to Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister. I am confident that Andy will rise to the challenge he has set out today – to make our politics better, to make sure it works for people and delivers the change our country so desperately needs.
“We must re-empower those communities that have been forgotten about and left behind, and reindustrialise every part of our great country.
“That is what we can expect from this Labour government, taking on the poison of Reform and bringing hope back to Britain.”
SNP depute leader Keith Brown said: “This is a terrible look for Andy Burnham who waxed lyrical about a new politics and devolving power – he’s just pulled the most undemocratic trick in the Westminster book.
“Anas Sarwar led Scottish Labour to their worst ever election defeat, but as is always the case with the Labour Party, there’s always a cushty number in the House of Lords. “What a signal to send after their democractic defeat – this is the Labour Party literally lording it over the people of Scotland.
“This morning Andy Burnham denied Scottish democracy in a phone call with Scotland’s First Minister, tonight he appoints a failed Scottish Labour leader to the Lords. This new Labour Government has deeply damaged its democratic credibility tonight.
“Andy Burnham raised the question of where power lies on these islands – it’s clear the Labour Party are still stubbornly determined to keep it firmly in the grip of a detached and undemocratic Westminster establishment.”
This follows a disastrous election in May when Scottish Labour lost a swathe of Holyrood MSPs. The party now has just 17 MSPs at Holyrood – the same number as Reform UK.
This is a copy of what happened to the Scottish Reform UK leader, Malcolm Offord, who joined the Conservative cabinet under Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister. Offord had donated around £150,000 to the Scottish Conservatives, and he was made a life peer along with a cabinet ministerial role. He renounced his peerage when standing in the Inverclyde constituency in May. At the time Stewart Hosie, SNP MP, said: “The stench of rampant cronyism surrounding this Tory government grows day by day. There are already serious questions facing the Tories over the use of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money for vanity projects and Covid contracts, but to now hand out roles and peerages to party donors shows contempt for democracy.”
Monica Lennon would make a welcome return to Holyrood after a career when she delivered the bill which enabled Scotland to become the first country in the world to make period products free for everyone.
MSPs at Holyrood unanimously supported her bill to place a legal obligation on local authorities to provide period products such as tampons and sanitary pads to anyone who needs them in the Period Products Act which came into effect in 2022. Monica Lennon had campaigned for the bill since 2016.
When the bill was passed she said: “Local authorities and partner organisations have worked hard to make the legal right to access free period products a reality.
“This is another big milestone for period dignity campaigners and grassroots movements which shows the difference that progressive and bold political choices can make.
“As the cost-of-living crisis takes hold, the Period Products Act is a beacon of hope which shows what can be achieved when politicians come together for the good of the people we serve.”
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