Former Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has formally taken his seat in the House of Lords, months after stepping down from the leadership of the party in Scotland.
The 43-year-old wore traditional scarlet robes as he was introduced to the upper chamber, supported by former Scottish Labour MPs Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. His father, Mohammed Sarwar, the UK’s first Muslim MP, watched from the gallery.
Making his maiden speech, Lord Sarwar thanked his family and the people of Glasgow, saying he was determined to help the Labour Government and the country succeed. He also spoke about what he described as a wider “fight for the heart and soul of our nation”, arguing that Britain must choose between division and hate or “unity and hope”.
Sarwar acknowledged that Labour had not fully met voters’ expectations during its first two years in government and said he remained “heart-sore” over the party’s performance in the Scottish election.
His move to the Lords has attracted criticism, particularly because he previously supported abolishing the unelected chamber. Addressing the apparent contradiction, Sarwar said his earlier comments questioned the principle rather than the purpose or people of the Lords. He said he continued to support a more democratic and representative upper chamber.
Sarwar resigned as Scottish Labour leader in July to become a trade minister after leading the party since 2021. Scottish Labour won just 17 seats at Holyrood in May. Scottish First Minister John Swinney accused him of hypocrisy for accepting a peerage after previously saying he wanted to become Scotland’s first minister.
