Leaked document from Scottish Labour election defeat shows plans to review links with UK party

EXCLUSIVE: A leaked copy of the terms of reference shows the relationship with the UK party is on the table.

Scottish Labour are reviewing their links with the UK party after Keir Starmer was blamed for last month’s Holyrood election loss.

A leaked document shows party chiefs are also asking members about the impact of the UK Government on their doomed campaign.

Anas Sarwar’s party returned 17 MSPs in May – the worst result in the history of devolution.

Candidates and senior party sources say the unpopular decisions of the Starmer Government were the primary cause of the defeat.

But Sarwar has also been accused of producing a weak manifesto and being too optimistic in the number of seats he targeted.

Scottish Labour’s governing body, the SEC, recently agreed to review the fifth electoral loss in a row to the SNP.

OPINION

Party chiefs will examine a range of issues including national campaign strategy, manifesto development, policy communication, media, digital campaigning, field operations and finance.

A copy of the terms of reference obtained by the Record shows members are being asked twenty six questions.

These include: “How effective were the party’s campaign message, manifesto and policy offer?”

“What were Scottish Labour’s objectives for the 2026 election, and were they realistic and clearly understood?”

The historic link to the UK party also forms part of the review, which will be chaired by an SEC member:

Another question asks pointedly: “How did the performance, reputation and decisions of UK Labour and the UK Government affect Scottish Labour’s campaign?”

The review will also examine the “operational and financial relationship between Scottish Labour and UK Labour”.

Although the Sarwar campaign was funded by donations raised by his party, Scottish Labour has historically relied on subsidies from London and benefits from shared resources.

A party source said loosening these ties would be another step towards Scottish Labour becoming a separate party.

The review will draw on election result analysis”, polling and voter research, campaign data, regional member meetings as well as written submissions and interviews.

A final report will be submitted to the SEC no later than September 12th this year.

It comes after former Labour MSP Paul O’Kane left the door open to an independent Labour party north of the border.

He told the Planet Holyrood podcast:

“As part of any wider review…I think everything should be on the table. I think it would be wrong if we sort of closed off ideas about how we might move forward.”

He said: “We are the party of devolution. We believe in devolution. We believe in devolution that progresses. But we probably didn’t do that for our internal party structures and we need to accept that in a devolved UK, looking at more devolved structures to the Scottish Labour Party isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

SNP MSP Pauline Stafford said: “The reality of Labour’s crushing defeat is nobody cares about it. Their own MSPs can’t even be bothered getting rid of Anas Sarwar despite him leading their party to their two worst ever defeats.

“But it doesn’t take a review to work out why the Labour Party suffered its worst election result in the history of Scottish devolution.“Despite receiving millions of pounds from London, Anas Sarwar lost because – in contrast to the SNP – he had no positive vision for Scotland and refused to engage with the fact that more than half the country wants to see Scotland take her rightful place as an independent nation.