EXCLUSIVE: Senior Scottish Labour figures are furious Sarwar said it is his “intention” to stay on for another five years.
Anas Sarwar has been urged to lay out a timetable for his departure as Scottish Labour leader after Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister.
One senior party source accused Sarwar of “bed blocking” over claims he wanted to stay in post for another five years.
Another insider said the leader and his deputy Jackie Baillie are behaving like “squatters”.
Sarwar led his party to its worst ever Holyrood election result last month – falling to 17 MSPs.
His Holyrood colleagues accept Starmer’s unpopularity was the main factor behind the defeat, but party insiders also say the campaign run by Sarwar was poor.
A number of Scottish Labour figures were annoyed this week when Sarwar said he intended to lead the party into the 2031 Holyrood election.
This would be his third attempt at becoming First Minister and mark ten years in charge of his party.
One senior source: “We are ten months from Scotland returning to the ballot box for the local elections, yet nothing has been done to rebuild since May’s disaster. Anas and Jackie are behaving like squatters – refusing to take responsibility while Scottish Labour sleepwalks into a civil war.
“The humiliating fourth-place finishes in the recent Westminster by elections are killing morale.
“The SNP have left Scotland’s public services broken but Scottish Labour can only defeat them if we break out of our Central Belt bubble. We need leadership that understands all of Scotland – before it’s too late.”
A second source was more dismissive: “If Anas stayed on until the next Scottish Parliament election, that would mean he had been leader for a decade, longer than Neil Kinnock. Bed blocking won’t get us anywhere.
“There needs to be an orderly transition along the lines we are seeing at Westminster.”
This was a reference to Starmer quitting on Monday and effectively making way for newly-elected MP Andy Burnham.
Scottish Labour’s governing body has launched a review of the Holyrood, with the relationship with the UK party part of the terms of reference.
The final report is likely to be issued in September – weeks before the UK Labour conference – and a third Labour insider said the review should coincide with Sarwar vacating the leadership.
He said: “Once the new Prime Minister takes office attention really needs to turn to Scottish Labour and what went wrong in the Scottish campaign.
“So far the Holyrood group is in a state between drifting, as new MSPs have no idea what they should be doing, and trying to carry on with business as usual as the more experienced hands continue the same attacks on John Swinney and the SNP. There cannot be a wasted summer of inertia.
“People were surprised by Anas’ statement this week that he will serve a full term. There is a lot of support for him to lead us through a review but the reality will have to be faced that even with a fresh start and new occupant in number 10 can he really go back to the country in 2031 for a third time?”
He added: “Members will expect clear direction and a timetable for his departure.”
Two MSPs tipped to be potential successors are Michael Marra and Paul Sweeney.
Supporters of Marra, who represents the North East region, favour a coronation over a contest if Sarwar stands down.
Sweeney, a Glasgow MSP, is not believed to be enthusiastic about standing for the job.
One senior insider said Marra would struggle to win a contest as his views would not chime with party members.
Another source said Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie does not want Marra to take over. She is instead believed to be a fan of newly-elected South Scotland MSP Joe Fagan.
It is also unclear whether party rules would allow a Scottish Labour MP to stand for leader, as was the case in 2014 when Jim Murphy stood and won.
Asked if he intended to serve a full five-year term at Holyrood as Scottish Labour leader, Sawar said this week: “That is my intention, I’m hungry for the fight ahead, and I want to help make sure this country never ends up in the hands of Nigel Farage and Reform.”
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “This is nonsense. While there are undoubtedly lessons to be learned from the election, Anas Sarwar is holding the SNP government to account, taking on the poison of Reform and ensuring a UK Labour government and the next Prime Minister are focused on delivering for people in Scotland.”
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