Politics · 21 July 2026

Anas Sarwar to quit as Scottish Labour leader for minister role

Scottish Parliament via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-3.0)

Anas Sarwar will resign as Scottish Labour leader and depart the Scottish Parliament to serve as a business minister in Andy Burnham's government. Sarwar would assume a peerage in the House of Lords, despite his earlier ambition to be Scotland's first minister. His decision has been called "bizarre" and "absolutely mad" by some Scottish Labour parliamentarians.

By BriefTea Editorial · 21 July 2026 at 23:36

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs

Get the app

Understand this story

Who is Anas Sarwar? What is Scottish Labour?

More briefs

PoliticsUK could get 'Switzerland plus' EU deal, says senior MEP WorldLe Pen Vows to Cut France's Aid to Ukraine If Elected PoliticsHealey Rejects Mansion Tax Change That Would Double Homes Affected PoliticsUnion Warns 450 Jobs at Risk at UK's Biggest Gas Store BusinessOfgem Plans Charge That Could Make Cheap Energy Deals Harder to Find PoliticsHealey's Budget: The past mistakes he must avoid More politics stories → Browse all stories →