‘Sarwar won’t waste a minute as First Minister’: Monica Lennon on campaign in Rutherglen

Rutherglen holds a special place in the hearts of those in Scottish Labour. In this town just south-east of Glasgow two years ago, Labour won a Westminster by-election from the SNP with a monumental swing. While a Labour win was anticipated by the commentariat, the scale of the victory was not – and it foreshadowed the red wave that swept across Scotland the following year.

Almost three years on from that result, Rutherglen’s by-election, along with a Scottish Parliament by-election in the nearby Hamilton constituency, are almost talismanic for Scottish Labour activists and politicians. For them, both results – and the general election victory – prove that Scottish Labour can beat the odds in May and get Anas Sarwar over the threshold of Bute House.

As the Holyrood elections draw nearer, my colleague James and I made the trip to the new Rutherglen and Cambuslang constituency, to meet MSP Monica Lennon, who is seeking a third term in the Scottish Parliament.

‘Everything feels broken under the SNP’

“Do I want a change in government? Absolutely,” she said.

“The SNP have had 19 years and the overwhelming mood is that people are working hard, are paying more and getting less.

“It feels like everything is broken under the SNP, because no matter what the weather, they just want to be an independent country and they’re not willing to cooperate with any UK government.

“I do hope come May 8th that we’ll have two governments that can work together for the benefit of the people of Scotland – and that’s how you start to improve people’s lives.”

‘Anas Sarwar as First Minister is not going to waste a minute’

She stressed that Sarwar, if elected as First Minister, would hit the ground running to deliver for Scotland.

“We have the right policies that have been costed, that have been stress tested, because we’ve been working with experts, trade unions, people with lived experience. We haven’t been talking to ourselves.

“We’ve been in opposition forever in Scotland, we’ve had a lot of time to work with people – and Anas Sarwar as First Minister is not going to waste a minute.

“I think in the first 100 days you’re going to see big changes happening and people feeling there is a sense of mission, a sense of direction.”

‘People are looking for somebody with a bit of backbone’

Lennon has been one of the most vocal supporters of Anas Sarwar in his call for the Prime Minister to stand down. She told us of her disappointment in Starmer’s leadership since he came to office, and compared it to the mood when Labour swept into office in 1997.

“I was 16 when Tony Blair came to power and I remember the optimism – it was exciting and that felt real. You could touch it, you could feel it.

“The Labour Party has let a lot of people down. People wanted to get the Tories out, they voted for change. They put their trust in Keir Starmer and, sadly, most of them don’t like what they’re seeing.

“I think sometimes, as Labour candidates, we probably feel a bit sorry for ourselves, because if this had been 18 months ago, things could be different. But we’re not the ones that need sympathy. [It’s the] people out there crying out for real change, a change of government. We’re so close to delivering that, but we need people to think hard about whether they feel better off under the SNP, do they deserve another five years – or do they want to see something different.”

She said that since Sarwar called on Starmer to resign, voters have given him “enormous credit for doing so” and said: “People are looking for somebody with a bit of backbone, somebody with the courage to say how it is.”

‘It’s up to us to talk about why this election is important’

One big challenge that all parties are likely to face at the election is apathy. Lennon explained that she had met several people on the doorstep in recent weeks who said they don’t plan to vote.

“There’s just not a lot of enthusiasm for the election, but of course it’s up to us to be out there and talk about why it’s important.

“I was speaking to a gentleman and he thought it was a UK election. These conversations are happening up and down the country – and it’s not that people don’t understand, but people are busy working hard, feeling like they’re getting less. People don’t have time to monitor the news and study up on manifestos and candidates. That’s why, for me as a candidate, I’m getting out, meeting people, listening and chatting to as many people as possible.”

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The mood on the doorstep firsthand

After our chat, we drove with Lennon to a nearby neighbourhood to see the mood on the doorstep for ourselves. One woman I met said she had been an ardent SNP supporter, even boasting a party sticker in the back of her car. However, she now expressed disillusion with them over their failures on public transport and plans for a congestion charge zone in Glasgow – which she feared would hit her daughter, who works as a nurse.

Time on the doorstep with the deputy head teacher of a special educational needs school also exposed the lack of love for the SNP on the doorstep. She said she would not vote for them, saying they had promised a lot on education but failed to deliver.

Others were also clear they intended to vote Labour or were at least open to the prospect.

The one thing that was demonstrated clearly, however, is the number of undecideds there are. Even among those who knew who they wouldn’t be voting for, people told us they wanted to take the time to look into policies and manifestos before making their mind up.

A positive for political engagement, even if it leaves canvassers and journalists like us wanting more concrete answers.

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