Sarwar: Labour aspire to first place in Scotland again

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Labour hope to return to coming first in elections again - but say they are realistic about their prospects in Thursday's council vote.

The party's leader Anas Sarwar said: "Ultimately I don't aspire for second place. Ultimately I aspire for first."

However, Mr Sarwar conceded that an "overnight landslide" to get the party into first this week was unlikely.

He said Labour would build "coalitions of support" to govern as minority administrations instead.

The party leader told 大象传媒 Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "I'm not suggesting that we're going to have some overnight landslide that's going to get us into first place over the next two days, but I want us to maximise our vote and aspire for Labour to win again across the country.

"I want to see us make gains across the country, I want us to gain in terms of share of the vote and councillors."

SNP and Tories 'bad for the country'

Mr Sarwar was asked why he was saying no to any official coalition deals after the council elections.

He replied that for eight years the SNP and Tories had said the Scottish Labour party was dead.

"And now suddenly all they want to do it talk about coalitions with the Labour party," he added.

"The SNP went into this election saying 'no coalitions with the Tories', challenging Labour to do the same.

"The Tories went into this saying 'no coalitions with the SNP', challenging Labour to do the same.

"I'm saying, I think both are bad for the country and I don't want us to push to the extremes - the extreme yes, or the extreme no.

"Instead, let's build a coalition of support... where minority administrations are working well."

The SNP have already ruled out going into coalition with the Tories anywhere in Scotland.

And the Scottish Conservatives have said they would be willing to work at council level with pro-Union parties to keep the SNP out of power.

The Scottish Greens have said they will work constructively with other parties except the Tories.

While the Lib Dems have expressed "anxieties" over entering local council coalitions with the SNP or Tories because of their focus on Scottish independence.