Starmer vows to lead Labour into Holyrood election amid leadership speculation

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed that Labour will lead the party into the 2026 Holyrood election, telling BBC Scotland that he will also oversee Labour campaigns in Wales and England’s local elections next year. He said he would not comment on Andy Burnham’s personal ambitions, but insisted Labour would drive change across the United Kingdom and that he and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would work together to oust the SNP from government. Starmer also said there remained a chance Scotland’s whisky industry could be exempt from US tariffs, saying he pressed Donald Trump on the issue during the prime minister’s state visit.

Speculation about leadership leadership within Labour intensified after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the Daily Telegraph that some Labour MPs had urged him to challenge Starmer for the party leadership. Burnham, who is not an MP, said he was not plotting to return to Westminster but did not rule out a leadership bid. He argued any contest should focus on a "proper plan for the country" rather than personalities, and he proposed broad tax and borrowing measures, including raising taxes for higher earners and borrowing to build council houses, as a way to reset Labour’s approach and break from a pattern of frequent bond-market dependence.

I’m not going to get drawn into commenting on the personal ambition of the mayor of Manchester, Starmer said when asked about Burnham’s comments. He reiterated that fiscal rules exist to protect working people and that economic stability is a foundational stone of a Labour government. He recalled the Liz Truss period and warned against abandoning fiscal discipline, saying Labour would not allow destabilizing moves that could undermine confidence in the economy. He also pointed to a £10 billion deal to build Clyde-built warships for the Norwegian navy as an example of Labour delivering tangible economic benefits for Scotland and its workers.

The SNP has sought to frame the leadership chatter as distractions from the party’s core task of government delivery. Anas Sarwar, when pressed about his confidence in Starmer, acknowledged the prime minister’s difficult job and said Labour had achieved significant successes that were not always widely known or communicated. He emphasized that the party’s priority was delivering for Scotland and argued that communication could improve, while declining to provide a blanket endorsement of the UK leader. The political dynamic in Scotland remains tense, with polls indicating Labour’s position behind the SNP in Holyrood voting intentions for next year’s election. Sarwar said he would continue to work closely with Starmer, even as he navigates a challenging electoral environment.

The cross-border dimension of Labour’s strategy was underscored by developments in policy on defence orders and international trade. In Washington, John Swinney, the Scottish government’s deputy first minister, met President Trump during the state visit and said groundwork had been laid for a potential tariff deal on whisky, though no agreement was reached. The UK and Scottish governments are pressing for a 10% tariff reduction or removal, a levy the Scotch whisky industry says costs Scottish businesses around £4 million per week. Swinney said it was now for the UK government to take the deal over the line. He also stressed that it would be the UK’s task to secure a resolution, even as Scottish ministers continued to press for a favorable outcome.

Speaking to reporters in the wake of the Trump visit, Starmer reiterated his lobbying on behalf of Scotland’s whisky sector, arguing that a tariff remedy would support jobs in Scotland and across the broader UK economy. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s counterpart in the Scottish government, John Swinney, has repeatedly described the state visit as a platform for laying groundwork, while noting that final decisions remain with the United States. The discussions reflect the broader tension between pan-UK governance and devolved government, with Labour seeking to translate national policy wins into gains for Scotland ahead of next year’s Holyrood vote. Swinney’s remarks contrasted with criticisms of Labour’s internal dynamics from SNP voices who say the party must deliver on Scots’ priorities if it hopes to form a government in Holyrood.

In this climate, Labour’s leadership debate is unlikely to fade quickly. Burnham’s remarks have intensified speculation about the party’s future direction, while Starmer has sought to keep the focus on delivering tangible economic and defence outcomes that could bolster Labour’s standing in Scotland and beyond. Analysts note that any perceived mismatch between rhetoric and delivery could shape voters’ views ahead of the Holyrood elections, especially as Labour seeks to consolidate gains made in last year’s general election and counter the SNP’s ongoing dominance in Scottish politics. The party faces the challenge of sustaining momentum across multiple fronts while avoiding the polarizing effects of leadership contests that could distract from policy delivery.