Scottish Labour 'naive' to expect widespread gains at 2026 Holyrood election after Hamilton victory
Scottish Labour would be "naive" to assume it can make widespread gains at the next Holyrood election on the back of its victory in Hamilton last week, a former MP has said.
Anas Sarwar claimed last week it was "game on" for his party ahead of next year's poll after it pulled off a surprise by-election win in South Lanarkshire.
The victory gives Labour some badly needed momentum in Scotland after its approval ratings slumped in the wake of Keir Starmer's first year in power at Westminster.
But Dennis Canavan, who served as a Labour MP for 25 years, said the party needed to "beware" the rise of Reform UK after it came a close third in the by-election contest.
He told the Record: "It was a surprise victory for Labour - but it would be naive to use this result to predict widespread Labour gains at next year's elections to the Scottish Parliament.
"To put the result into perspective, Labour won with the support of only 14 per cent of the electorate. If Anas Sarwar really wants to improve his chances of becoming first minister, he should tell Keir Starmer to ditch his disastrous policies on things like the two child benefit cap, the WASPI women's pension rights and cuts to welfare.
"Starmer is not an electoral asset, especially in Scotland, and his failure to make a personal appearance in the by-election campaign may have actually helped Davy Russell."
Canavan, who quit Labour in 1999 and later served as an independent MSP, said the result was a "bitter disappointment" for the SNP.
He added: "Both Labour and the SNP must beware of Reform, who came from nowhere to getting over a quarter of the vote. By next year they will probably be much more organised and may therefore present a bigger threat.
"It is pointless pandering to the agenda of Reform. Starmer's recent claim that 'we risk becoming an island of strangers' sounded like the language of Nigel Farage. Responsible politicians must try to lead public opinion instead of apeing right wing extremists.
"We need more emphasis on pointing out the evils of racism and positively campaigning for a fairer and more equal society.
"The by-election result reveals that the majority of the electorate did not vote at all. That seems to indicate a serious disconnect between the political class and the rest of society and does not bode well for the future of democracy.
"All politicians must work harder to enthuse the electorate with a positive vision of a better world."
Sarwar said yesterday he had spoken to Keir Starmer following Labour's victory last week. He added that he wants to see the two-child benefit cap removed 'as fast as possible'.
The Scottish Labour leader said the UK Government was already working to 'improve growth' and bring mortgage rates and energy bills down to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.
He added: 'There have been four interest rates cuts because of economic stability and those four interest rates cuts have meant that the average mortgage is down by over £1,000.
'We've started to see energy bills come down, but those need to come down much quicker, because people feel a real pressure in the cost-of-living crisis.'
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