Anas Sarwar’s bid to bring nine exiled Aberdeen councillors back into the Scottish Labour fold has been branded “pathetic” by the city’s former council boss.
The so-called “Aberdeen Nine” were suspended from Labour after entering a coalition with the Tories and Independents following the 2017 council elections.
The group had hoped to see their suspension eventually lifted, but after more than three years they remain out in the cold.
We revealed yesterday that Mr Sarwar had met party bosses in London in a bid to lift the ban, but his efforts have been mocked by Tory former council co-leader Douglas Lumsden.
Mr Lumsden, who stood down in May after winning a seat at Holyrood, said: “Anas Sarwar is all talk and no action.
“He’s showing just how little control he has over his own party and its members.
“It’s weak and pathetic that he has to plead with London bosses to try and get valuable councillors back in to his own party.”
He added: “If he had any power whatsoever, my Aberdeen colleagues would be back in the party.
“It’s no wonder he led Labour to their worst ever Holyrood election result. He can’t even get Keir Starmer to listen to him.”
A Scottish Labour source batted off the criticism and pointed to the recent controversy surrounding the selection of Mr Lumsden’s replacement on the city council as evidence of his own issues with leadership.
They said: “Douglas Lumsden couldn’t even stop his own colleagues selecting as their group leader a man with a history of bigotry so embarrassing he was deemed unfit to lead by local councillors.
“Perhaps he should pipe down when it comes to talk of leadership.”
Mr Sarwar, when speaking to us yesterday, also refuted any suggestions that he answered to London.
He said: “I’m the boss in Scotland, I’m in charge in Scotland and I’m not shy about saying that direct to Keir’s face or Angela Rayner’s face or David Evans’ or indeed to the shadow cabinet or indeed publicly. I’m in charge, I’m the boss.”