Anas Sarwar’s key SNP attack lines as he fires starting gun for 2026 Holyrood election

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has kicked off the party’s 2026 election campaign for Holyrood in a New Year’s speech that attacked the Scottish National Party’s record in government on healthcare, education and crime.

In an address at the University of Glasgow, Sarwar said that voters in 16 months’ time faced a choice between “more decline and a new direction for Scotland”.

He said that communities across Scotland had been left behind since the SNP first took power in 2007 and that the party was “incompetent” and had “run out of ideas”.

“Where are we after nearly two decades of SNP government? A country where no one can rely on our public services, where trust in our institutions has been eroded, and where drift, delay and decay has become the accepted norm. 

“A government lost without a vision for the future, unsure of itself and with no story to tell. No new ideas, no innovation, no leadership – just the same old approach again and again, expecting a different and better result.”

NHS plunged into ‘permanent crisis’ under SNP’s watch

Sarwar issued a blistering attack on the state of the NHS under the SNP, claiming the health service had been plunged into a “permanent crisis” under their watch and claimed the government in Scotland had become “desensitised to the trauma”.

“When the SNP came to power, they actually inherited an NHS that was in robust health – where waiting times were falling and measured in weeks, not months or years.

“In their time in power, the SNP has plunged the NHS into a permanent crisis. The principle of an NHS free at the point of need for all has been abandoned, and shamefully on the SNP’s watch, life expectancy has fallen.”

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‘Education now a shadow of what it used to be’

He also criticised the SNP’s record on education and took direct aim at First Minister John Swinney.

“Let’s not forget Swinney was the Education Secretary who attempted to downgrade the marks of working class kids during the pandemic. What did the SNP do? Reward him with a top job.

“Our education system, once the envy of the world, is now a shadow of what it used to be.”

He said working class pupils had been held back under the SNP and pledged that Labour would address the opportunity gap and ensure teachers and pupils feel supported.

Violent crime on the rise under SNP government

Sarwar said that the SNP had presided over a rise in violent crime and said the nation’s prisons had been left to crumble, while backlogs in the court system have left criminals unprosecuted.

Sarwar’s speech took place at the same time as Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the government’s plan to cut NHS waiting lists.

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“The first responsibility of any government is to keep its citizens safe – but we are going in the wrong directions. More Scots are feeling unsafe on their own streets, in their own communities and increasingly online too.

“A new direction means more local policing and more visible police officers, but also a sense of belonging, where communities are protected, where justice is swift and violence against women and girls is confronted.”

‘New hope, new thinking, new solutions’

Sarwar pledged that a Labour administration would “be in the service of the people of Scotland” and be focused on improving people’s lives and public services “first and foremost”.

“In 2025, under the watch words that have guided my leadership – hard work, humility and hope, I will seek to persuade you that a different future and a new direction is possible.

“A new direction for the NHS, where we cut waiting lists, make sure the NHS is there when you need it and is fit for the future. A new direction for our economy, where it grows, we support our businesses, revitalise our high streets and deliver better paid jobs. A new direction for our young people, where we close the opportunity gap and give them all the chance to flourish. A new direction for our communities, with more police on the streets and where you feel safe.

“New hope, new thinking, new solutions – a new direction for Scotland. That’s the future we will win together.”

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