Scottish Labour has come under growing scrutiny after a series of campaign controversies involving fabricated quotes and the unauthorised use of images, all unfolding under the leadership of Anas Sarwar.
The latest incident emerged after it was revealed that Scottish Labour used footage of an SNP and independence supporter in a party political broadcast without her consent.
Dr Gwen Jones Edwards, a retired NHS consultant and SNP supporter, said she was “horrified” to discover her image had been used after a chance encounter on Buchanan Street.
The incident comes just days after Sarwar was forced to apologise for the unauthorised use of a maternity campaigner’s photograph alongside a quote she never made.
Together, the cases have raised serious questions about campaign practices, consent, and accuracy within the Scottish Labour operation.
The SNP said the incidents suggest a growing pattern rather than isolated mistakes.
George Adam said:
“Scottish Labour are now so short of supporters that they’re having to borrow ours.
“This isn’t a one-off mistake; it’s becoming a pattern.”
“Whether it’s inventing quotes or passing off SNP supporters as Labour backers, Anas Sarwar’s operation looks increasingly desperate and increasingly careless.
“If Labour can’t even be trusted to run an honest campaign video, how can anyone trust them to run Scotland?”
Pressure on Sarwar intensified further after he was reported to the Electoral Commission over election leaflets containing a quote falsely attributed to an individual who never said it.
The complaint was submitted by Kevin Stewart, who said the leaflets were delivered to more than one million Scottish homes and continue to be distributed.
Kevin Stewart said:
“Without an immediate recall, Anas Sarwar risks misleading more than a million people across Scotland.
“After a series of broken Labour promises, a failure to act on the Pam Duncan-Glancy scandal, and now the distribution of inaccurate campaign material, the Scottish people are rightly questioning Anas Sarwar’s trustworthiness.
“While he has rightly apologised to the individual affected, Anas Sarwar must also apologise and explain the lie to the many people across Scotland who have received these leaflets and were entitled to expect them to be accurate.
“Voters deserve to be able to trust the information they receive from politicians and that trust is undermined when campaign materials contain false or misleading claims.”
With multiple incidents now linked to the same campaign, questions are growing over standards, accountability, and trust as the Holyrood election approaches.
