Read full Anas Sarwar speech: More MPs gives Scottish Labour a seat at table

Below is the full text of Anas Sarwar’s 2024 new year’s message

Thank you all for coming – and I hope you all got a chance for some rest and relaxation before what I believe is going to be a busy and constructive 12 months.

2024 is going to be a momentous year in the history of British and Scottish politics.  It can be and in my view will be the year of change. It is our chance to write the next volume of Scotland’s story.

And as we meet here in Rutherglen – where Labour proved that change is possible just four months ago, I’d like to talk to you all about how I believe this year we have the chance to change our country for the better.

It is our opportunity for change after 13 years of failure under the Tories. And after 16 years of decline and incompetence – it is a chance to turn the page on the SNP too.

A chance for a new chapter – an opportunity for Scotland to go back to being an internationalist, outward looking nation that punches well above its weight across the UK and on the world stage.

Because for too long we’ve been gripped by a politics – both here in Scotland and across the UK – where two governments thrive off division.

Two governments that have prioritised conflict, over delivery. And the truth is, we have all paid the price. But this year we have that chance to turn our back on more than a decade of division and decline.

A decade of incompetence and failure. A decade of pitting Scot against Scot and community against community.

And to make 2024 the year of change. Because I believe this year we will bring our country back together again.

And begin the next phase in Scotland’s fantastic story. This year we have a chance to end a broken political system that means government doesn’t work for you and props up the status quo.

Because for the Tories – and yes for the SNP too, politics is no longer about what they can deliver. Politics has become a game.

It has become a weapon and a tool for politicians or political parties to put themselves first, rather than meet your needs or deliver on your priorities.

And we’ve seen the consequences for people across our country.It means economic chaos. Where mortgages rates have gone through the roof – with the average Scottish family paying £2000 more a year on their mortgage.

And the trip to the till at the end of a weekly shop has become a moment of dread for too many families. Because while our two governments continue to play games, across the country people are struggling to make ends meet.

It means energy bills skyrocketing as governments failed to regulate and renew our energy infrastructure. It has meant we became too reliant on foreign imports giving influence to despotic regimes like Putin’s

And it has also weakened our supply chains here at home, with the high skilled, high paid jobs of the future going overseas.

But it has not just been economic failure. It has meant social failure too. We see inequality and injustice on the rise.

Our most treasured public institutions, like the NHS, are on their knees. Our education system, once lauded as one of the greatest in the world, is now declining after 16 years of SNP neglect.

And we see poverty on the rise and, shockingly, life expectancy falling in Scotland for the first time ever.

All while politicians who have nothing left to offer try to stoke fear and culture wars, in a desperate attempt to cling on to power.

But this year in 2024, Scotland has an opportunity to turn our back on that politics of decay, and instead make politics again, about people, public service and delivering for our country.

That’s what’s on offer. That’s the opportunity. I know people across our country are hungry for change. That is why we had to change as a party so that we could be ready to deliver the change our country needs.

When I became leader three years ago, some thought my mission was about saving the Scottish Labour party. But I have always believed it was about changing the Labour Party so we could serve Scotland.

If I had said three years ago that we had an opportunity to be the party of Scotland again, and to serve the people of Scotland again, people wouldn’t have believed me.

The Scottish Labour Party was losing election after election and had lost the trust of the people of Scotland. But I was always honest that we weren’t winning because we weren’t good enough.

And that’s why over the last three years, we have worked day and night to transform and change the Scottish Labour Party. Not looking inward, but outward.

Not focussing on the past, but on the future. That hard work has paid off, but the job is far from done.

If I had said three years ago Labour could be on the brink of booting the Tories out of Downing St – nobody would have believed me.

But that is now a real possibility but only if Scotland takes that opportunity. At some point this year, we will have a general election.

But we in Scotland will not be spectators in that general election. Instead, we can lead the way in booting out these Tories, and electing a UK Labour government.

But let me be clear, electing Scottish Labour MPs, won’t just be about playing our part in getting rid of a Tory government or helping to form a Labour one, which is of course important.

But it’s about making sure that Scotland has a voice at the heart of the next UK Labour government so that it delivers for Scotland.

After a decade of SNP MPs shouting at Westminster with nothing to show for it, it’s about demonstrating that Scotland’s voice must be more than just a protest.

It’s about maximising Scotland’s influence and giving Scotland a seat at the table, making decisions that benefit the lives of people across the country.

So we can tackle the cost of living crisis. So we can get our economy back on track and put money back into your pocket. So we deliver growth and make that growth work for every part of our country again.

And that’s why electing Scottish Labour MPs is so important. Not just making sure Scotland leads the way in getting rid of the Tories, but helps lead the UK in building a better tomorrow.

But this election will also have an impact closer to home – in Holyrood and on the Scottish government. Because for too long the SNP have put conflict ahead of the interests of the people of Scotland.

A UK Labour government is an opportunity to reset devolution and take it back to its founding principles. Devolution was never meant to be about two governments fighting with each other and ultimately failing Scots.

Devolution was always meant to be about Scottish solutions to Scottish problems. And our two governments working together in our national interest to actually deliver for Scotland.

Labour is the only party of devolution. But for it to work to its maximum effect it means ending the childish squabbles between two bad governments, and not treating people like they are pawns in a constitutional game.

That’s why we have to change our country. But – this year is just the first step. The first opportunity for change comes with a general election. But we also have a chance for change in 2026 with a Scottish Parliament election.

The chance to get a competent government in Holyrood as well. And that’s why, over the course of this year, as we head in towards the next general election, we will set out in more detail what a UK Labour government will mean for the people of Scotland.

But we will also ramp up our work on setting out what change looks like if you elect a Labour government at Holyrood too.

That’s why I will be reconstituting the Shadow Cabinet here in Scotland – charged not just with holding the SNP to account, but with setting out a bold vision to reform and renew our country.

Because, after 16 years of SNP government, every one of Scotland’s public institutions is weaker. So as we approach the upcoming elections, it will be Labour’s job to set out how we will rebuild and reunite Scotland again and change our country for the better at Holyrood too.

Our first priority has to be getting growth back into our economy. Because when it comes to Scotland’s economy the SNP’s record is one of woeful failure – just like the Conservatives’.

With people being asked to pay more, and get less while public services are cut to the bone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A changed Scottish Labour is once again the party of aspiration and of working people in Scotland.

Unlike the SNP, we don’t believe that if you earn over 29,000 pounds in Scotland, somehow you have the broadest shoulders.

But the SNP have decided that almost one and half million Scots should foot the bill for their incompetence.

Tragically they are using income tax as a substitute for economic growth. If Scotland’s economy had grown at the same rate as the North West of England it would be £11.5 billion bigger.

That is more money to invest in schools, on keeping our streets safe and in our hospitals. That is why our priority must be to grow Scotland’s economy – to get the jobs and the opportunities for people right here.

But secondly, through that economic growth, we can reform our public services. Nowhere is that clearer than in health – almost 1 in 6 Scots is on an NHS waiting list.

The promises of a healthcare system free at the point of need has been broken by the SNP. Fixing that means bringing the NHS and social care system into the 21st century.

These will be our priorities as we set out a vision for what Scotland can look like beyond 2026. That’s why it is too simple to think that all the change that Scotland needs comes in 2024 alone. I’ve always been clear we have to get rid of not one failing government but two.

The job over the next 12 months is to boot the Tories out of power and remove the SNP’s last remaining excuse for failing Scotland.

Across the UK Rishi Sunak’s Tories have been found out, but in Scotland we’ve always known the dangers of a Tory government.

So after 13 years of the Tories, I can understand why people in Scotland have wanted to run a million miles from this rotten Tory government. The SNP have pretended that they have the answer to that problem.

When in actual fact, every corner of the United Kingdom wants to get rid of these morally bankrupt Tories. Because while there is no majority for a referendum right now, neither is that a majority for the status quo.

But there is an overwhelming majority in Scotland and across the UK for change. That means Scotland can lead the way in getting rid of the Tories and electing a Labour government that will make change a reality.

So I say directly to people – I don’t care how you voted in the past. I don’t care how you voted in a general election in the past. I don’t care how you voted in a referendum in the past.

Scottish Labour under my leadership refuses to turn our back on anybody in Scotland. We are the only party in this country trying to persuade anyone and to unify it around change.

So let me say directly to those that may have supported independence in the past, and may even consider it in the future. I don’t support independence, and I don’t support a referendum.

But I accept that we need change right now. We may ultimately disagree on the final destination for Scotland. But on this part of the journey, let’s unite to change our country and get rid of this Tory government.

Give us the opportunity to show you that we can make the UK work for every corner of our country, including here in Scotland. And the chance to show you that change is possible, and that this isn’t as good as it gets.

Because I believe with a Labour government, we can do better than the managed decline of the Tories and the SNP.

So in the coming months we will continue to set out a delivery plan for Scotland, what a Labour government will do to change our country.

It’s a plan that will put you and your family back at the heart of everything that government does. A plan to invest in the jobs of the future, bring down bills, and make work pay again.

That starts with a New Deal for Working People, the most transformative change for working people in a generation.

We will scrap exploitative zero hour contracts, ban the scandal of fire and rehire, and tackle the scourge of in-work poverty by introducing a genuine living wage.

We will bring the world of work into the 21st century – strengthening workers’ rights and strengthening our economy too.

And we will introduce that legislation in the first 100 days of a new Labour government. Our New Deal will not just undo the damage done by this destructive Tory government but go further.

Workers in Scotland and right across the UK will benefit, and instead of allowing a race to the bottom, we will deliver a race to the top. Because making work pay is the way to improve lives.

It will lift people out of poverty, it will put more money into our economy, and it will increase tax revenues for the public purse, funding schools and hospitals.

We will make work pay again, not hit working people in the middle of a cost of living crisis. Under a Labour government, Scotland can lead the world and deliver the green energy of the future.

And that’s why we will deliver clean energy by 2030. Change powered by the UK Labour Treasury and backed up with a publicly owned energy generation company headquartered right here in Scotland, GB energy.

That will create tens of thousands of jobs, bring down people’s bills and provide greater energy security – ending our reliance on foreign tyrants.

It means making Scotland the winner in the race for the next generation of clean energy jobs. That means investing in offshore wind, onshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and all other forms of energy as well.

And it doesn’t mean we turn off the taps on our oil and gas industry, which will play a major role in our energy infrastructure for decades to come.

But it means working in partnership to protect jobs and provide prosperity for future generations.

Enough of the empty promises from two failing governments – a Labour government delivering on the promise of Scotland’s energy potential.

And we will put fairness back at the heart of everything we do. That is why Labour will scrap the non-dom tax loophole. Which means more money that can be used to invest in nurses and consultants in our NHS in the midst of an NHS crisis.

And to address the cost of living crisis, we’ll invest in bringing down people’s energy bills – saving you up to £1400, not just for one year but every year.

And crucially we will bring honesty, decency, and integrity back into our politics and make politics about public service again. We’ll end the corruption and cronyism that the Tories have let fester.

Because while the Tories wasted billions on dodgy PPE contracts – Labour will end corruption at the heart of our government and get our money back.

No more VIP fast lanes. No more kickbacks for colleagues. We’ll clawback that money that was stolen from the taxpayer and put it back into our public services.

That’s the difference you get with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and a UK Labour government.

But the Tories and the SNP who have already so degraded our politics won’t hesitate to get nasty in order to try and keep hold of power.

So as we look ahead to in the next 12 months with hope and optimism we have to expect a lot of dirty tricks and attacks from our opponents.

Expect the Tories to tell you that this is as good as it gets, to try and divide us with culture wars. And to run an almighty negative campaign. Because they don’t want change. But they won’t be alone.

The SNP are going to spend every day and every month between now and the next general election using their energy not to defend their record, not to attack the Conservatives, but to attack the Labour party.

And to try and pretend that who wins the next general election doesn’t matter. Because the truth is they don’t want change either, they don’t want a Labour government

And they would prefer to inflict a Tory government on Scotland, so they get to keep their excuse for their failures and their grievance.

They will spend more time talking about us – because after 16 years of failure in government they have no positive record to defend.

And because for nearly ten years SNP MPs have wasted the opportunity they were given. Because the SNP has been found out – Rutherglen and Hamilton West proved that.

It used to be the case that the SNP were regarded as being positive. It used to be said that the SNP believed Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us. As they fail to deliver and double down on division, it’s clear that has changed.

Now it is a positive and future looking Scottish Labour that is the party of aspiration, the party of change and the party that believes Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us.

But that change is only possible if we elect Scottish Labour MPs and a UK Labour government. Our message couldn’t be clearer. Across Scotland and the UK people are crying out for change.

Across the country, we’ve seen inequality on the rise. Too many families here in Scotland are struggling to make ends meet. And as Tory economic chaos bites, you are left to pay the price.

Scotland is being failed by two bad governments who want you to believe this is as good as it gets. But we are putting them both on notice.

Because we are ready for general election whenever the squatter in No10 wants to call one. We are determined that 2024 will be the year of change.

They year we put Scotland at the heart of a fairer, better, more prosperous UK. The year we start delivering thousands of green jobs.

The year we drive down bills by up to £1,400 pounds. The year we deliver for working people and make work pay. The year we finally get rid of this Tory government. And the year we make Labour the party of government again.

Together we can make that happen. 2024 – the year we deliver the change that Scotland and the UK so desperately needs.

Join us on that journey and let’s make that change happen. Thank you.