Anas Sarwar has faced a string of questions over his involvement in the silencing of a senior Labour MSP who had the temerity to speak out against Sir Keir Starmer’s two-child benefit cap.
It follows reports in The Courier that Dunfermline MP Graeme Downie reported Alex Rowley MSP to party bosses after he asked him to back an SNP bid to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which is pushing thousands of Scottish children into poverty.
It is reported that Scottish Labour Party whips then admonished Mr Rowley for daring to urge his Labour MP colleagues to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
During the general election, Anas Sarwar led voters to believe that Labour MPs in Scotland would scrap the two-child benefit cap – but instead they voted to keep it resulting in even more children in Scotland having been hit by the punitive Labour Party welfare policy.
It comes amid growing reports of infighting between Labour MPs and MSPs in Scotland, as Anas Sarwar’s party collapses in the polls.
The Times reports that Labour MPs believe their MSP colleagues lack “gravitas and credibility”, while Labour MSPs blame their Westminster counterparts’ voting records for their polling collapse.
Now SNP MP, Kirsty Blackman, has demanded Anas Sarwar “come clean” on what he knew about this serious allegation.
Ms Blackman has questioned whether Mr Sarwar gave the order to silence Mr Rowley or whether the sinister diktat came directly from London Labour chiefs.
Commenting, the SNP DWP spokesperson, Kirsty Blackman said:
“This is quite simple – did Anas Sarwar issue the sinister order to silence one of his most senior MSPs for his views on the two-child cap or did the command come directly from London Labour chiefs?
“This is an incredibly murky affair and shows the depths that the Labour Party will plummet under Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar to maintain order and discipline on their fast-sinking ship.
“In good faith, Alex Rowley contacted his MP colleagues to ask them to scrap the two-child cap.
“Not only was this clearly the right thing to do, but it was Scottish Labour policy, so for shadowy figures to wrap his knuckles and try to gag him is deeply menacing.
“It speaks volumes that while the SNP government is working hard to mitigate the two-child cap in Scotland – Labour MPs are enforcing it at Westminster and strong-arming MSP colleagues into surrender.
“This is yet another broken promise from Anas Sarwar, who can’t be trusted to keep his word and is too weak to lead his own MPs, let alone stand up for Scotland – it’s time the chancer came clean on what he knew and when about this ominous affair, but perhaps the embarrassment of London Labour big wigs ruling the roost is too much for him to bare.”
