Multiple UK outlets report that Anas Sarwar, the Glasgow MSP and Scottish Labour leader, is set to resign from his role at Holyrood and take a ministerial position in Andy Burnham’s new government. Coverage says Sarwar will leave Scottish Labour leadership and shift to a UK-wide post, with one report stating he will be elevated to the House of Lords and also become a minister in a revised Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Other articles describe the move as Sarwar “swapping Holyrood for” Burnham’s administration. Several sources add that Sarwar has been in London ahead of a reshuffle and had been rumoured to be offered a role. The reports also note that Sarwar has previously been prominent in urging changes at the UK Labour leadership level, including calling for Keir Starmer to resign following the Peter Mandelson scandal. At the same time, outlets say Burnham has moved quickly to appoint supporters to his cabinet after taking over, framing the overall period as one of political reshaping. Scottish Labour is expected to name a new leader following Sarwar’s departure.
Anas Sarwar to quit Scottish Labour leadership to join Andy Burnham’s government
Multiple UK outlets report that Anas Sarwar, the Glasgow MSP and Scottish Labour leader, is set to resign from his role at Holyrood and take a ministerial position in Andy Burnham’s new government. Co...
- Anas Sarwar is reported to be quitting as Scottish Labour leader.
- Sources say he will take a ministerial role in Andy Burnham’s government.
- Some reports add that Sarwar will move to the House of Lords as part of the appointment.
- Articles describe Sarwar as being in London for a reshuffle and being offered the role.
- Coverage links the move to earlier remarks by Sarwar calling for Keir Starmer to step down following the Peter Mandelson scandal.
Anas Sarwar will swap Holyrood for the House of Lords and a ministerial role, leaving Scottish Labour looking for a new leader.
38 minutes agoConfirmation of the appointment came after the Daily Record exclusively revealed Sarwar would join the House of Lords to take up a new role.
1 hour agoHe hailed Andy Burnham for his ‘bold Labour vision’ as he entered No 10 this week.
1 hour agoAnas Sarwar is to quit as Scottish Labour leader to take up a job in Andy Burnham's new government - after having led calls for Sir Keir Starmer to resign.
1 hour agoKeir Starmer and Anas Sarwar share a joke with local people during a visit to a community centre in Glasgow on December 4, 2025.Andy Burnham has awarded a peerage and a government job to a senior Labour figure who called on Keir Starmer to resign.In a major shock, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is quitting Holyrood to enter the House of Lords.He will also become a minister at the revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.Sarwar’s elevation comes despite the fact he led Scottish Labour to a disastrous result at the Holyrood elections on May 7.The party came a distant second to Labour, and saw their number of MSPs slump from 20 to just 17.However, Sarwar did break ranks in February to call on Starmer to resign as prime minister in the wake of the Peter Mandelson scandal.The disgraced former UK ambassador to Washington is accused of passing market sensitive information to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary between 2008 and 2010.Sarwar said: “The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.“It is so obvious that we desperately need change in Scotland and in three months time the opportunity to get rid of a failing SNP government is one that is too important to be missed.“We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland, because the election in May is not without consequence for the lives of Scots.”Despite speculation that cabinet ministers were set to quit, Starmer managed to see off the rebellion to stay in office until he stood down last week.Burnham last week insisted he would end “factionalism” in the Labour Party.However, on Monday he axed a host of Starmer loyalists while appointing a number of his own supporters to his cabinet within hours of taking over as prime minister.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Labour Wipes Out Reform UK Poll Lead As Party Enjoys 'Burnham Bounce'Who Is In Andy Burnham's Government – And Who Is Out?Exclusive: Andy Burnham To Slash Business Rates For Hospitality Sector
2 hours agoHe was the first Labour figure to call for Sir Keir Starmer to quit as PM
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