Following the Holyrood election defeat Sarwar promised to stay on as leader in Scotland.
In May, as reported by The Herald, external, when asked if he would ever take up a seat in the House of Lords, Sarwar said: “No. I’m focused on being first minister of this great country.”
He added: “My only commitment, my only focus, is serving my constituents in Glasgow and serving the great people of this country, if I get the honour of being first minister.”
After Sir Keir’s resignation in June, when asked if he planned to serve as party leader for the full five-year Holyrood term he said: “That is my intention.
“I’m hungry for the fight ahead and I want to play my full part in making sure this country never ends up in the hands of Nigel Farage and Reform.”
Brian Leishman, Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said Sarwar’s move offered an opportunity to “reshape and remould” the party in Scotland.
He told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast: “Over the past five years, our policy offering has been nowhere near good enough.
“Twice during his leadership, Scottish voters rejected Anas and he and the rest of the leadership team were unable to break through an abject, scandal-ridden SNP.”
“We have an identity crisis. We need to be Scottish Labour and that means rediscovering our radicalism and putting forward a bold, transformative policy platform that will really improve lives for everyone in Scotland.”
