Keir Starmer accused of shunning Anas Sarwar by 'skulking' around Faslane
Sir Keir Starmer made a flying visit to a Scottish nuclear submarine base - but did not meet any of his Scottish Labour colleagues.
The Prime Minister has been accused of “skulking” around Scotland and shunning the Scottish Labour leader after a flying visit to a nuclear submarine base.
Sir Keir Starmer visited Faslane for two-and-a-half hours on Saturday, which was his first visit to Scotland since Anas Sarwar had called for him to resign back in February.
The BBC reports that he did not meet any Scottish Labour colleagues during his visit, despite the party being in the middle of the Holyrood election campaign.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Following talks in Paris on the Strait of Hormuz, the Prime Minister visited Scotland for a defence and security trip to thank UK personnel for their dedication and service.”
Mr Sarwar said: “He’s the Prime Minister of the UK and it’s right that he makes a visit, particularly when it relates to defence.
“I think that’s important given the global consequences of the situation we have right now.
“His job is to be Prime Minister and govern the county. My job is to lead a campaign and change the government here in Scotland and that’s what I’m focused on doing.”
Mr Sarwar added: “People know what the tipping point was for me but what I’m relentlessly focused on is making sure that we change the First Minister in this country because this election is about our schools, our hospitals, our local services.
“It’s about our towns, cities, villages and islands. It’s not about an endorsement of Keir Starmer or voting for who the Prime Minister is.
“It’s about rejecting 20 years of the SNP and getting change with Scottish Labour.”
In response to the Prime Minister’s flying visit, First Minister John Swinney said: “The Prime Minister is quite clearly on a very quiet visit to Scotland. I don’t know what the purpose of it is and I don’t know any details of it.
“It seems strange that a Labour Prime Minister comes to Scotland during an election campaign and doesn’t appear to be campaigning with the Labour Party.
“It’s almost as if the Labour Party is ashamed of the Prime Minister.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “It seems that Keir Starmer is skulking around a top-secret high security submarine base unable to face the public, unable to even look Anas Sarwar in the eyes.
“And that’s because he’s a busted flush. He has lied to the public. He’s lied to parliament.
“No wonder Anas Sarwar wants nothing to do with him. The guy shouldn’t be in Downing Street and he’s a complete and utter disgrace.”
This comes as senior UK government ministers insist Sir Keir would have blocked the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson had he known he had failed security vetting.
The Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure to quit after it was revealed Mandelson failed security vetting, but this was overturned by the Foreign Office to appoint him as US ambassador.
Sir Keir insists he was not aware of this, and is due to answer questions on this in the House of Commons on Monday.
At the end of the week, Sir Olly Robbins was sacked as the chief official in the Foreign Office.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall have now both defended the Prime Minister, saying he would have overturned the Foreign Office’s decision had he known.
Speaking to BBC Sundays with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Kendall said: “I think what was wrong was that he wasn’t told that UK security vetting didn’t pass Peter Mandelson.
“It was wrong not to say that to the Prime Minister - it was wrong at the beginning and then subsequently that ministers made comments to parliament and the media, and I think that is why Olly Robbins lost the confidence of the Prime Minister and the foreign secretary.”
She added: “If the Prime Minister had known that UK security vetting had not cleared him, the appointment would’ve been withdrawn, no matter how close it was to the presidential inauguration.
“I believe that there is no way the Prime Minister would have continued knowing the facts he knows now.”
Ms Kendall also said: “The Prime Minister is a man of honesty and integrity and he has told the public everything he knew based on the facts he knew at the time.
“But at the heart of this is Peter Mandelson failed to tell the truth about his relationship with Epstein.”
Speaking to The Guardian, who broke the story about Mandelson failing security vetting, Mr Lammy said: “I have absolutely no doubt at all, knowing the Prime Minister as I do, that had he known that Peter Mandelson had not passed the vetting, he would never, ever have appointed him ambassador.
“The Prime Minister was not particularly close to Peter Mandelson. He hadn’t worked with him in the past, as some of us had.
“He was weighing a decision, but I’m quite sure had he known that, he would not have become ambassador. Therefore this is inexplicable.”
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