In 2016, during the tumultous Labour leadership challenge, Anas Sarwar signed a letter calling on Jeremy Corbyn to stand down.
But since Corbyn presided over a better-than-expected Labour result in the snap election of 2017, and particularly after Kezia Dugdale resigned as Scottish Labour leader, Sarwar has been buffing up his Corbynista credentials.
During the leader’s tour of Scotland in the summer, Sarwar was keen to show him round his Glasgow stomping round. After announcing he would be running for Scottish Labour leader, he declared Corbyn had “revitalised” Labour.
Corbynistas do not seem convinced. They have thrown their support behind Richard Leonard, a former union organiser long known for his left-wing views.
Sarwar – who has faced constant scrutiny about his relationship with his family’s business – has been fighting to establish his credentials as a true man of the left, with a plan for tax hikes for those earning more than £42,386 a year, and reducing taxes for the lowest paid workers. He is so enthusiastic about the plan, he’s emailed Labour members about it, using Corbyn’s redistribution catchphrase.
There’s just one problem. Sarwar’s email reads (our emphasis): “It is a bold proposal rooted in our guiding principle that we should redistribute wealth from the many to the few.”
Still working on that Corbynista touch.
Gaffe alert. Anas Sarwar has sent Labour members an email promising to redistribute wealth *from the many to the few*
h/t @HazelJN pic.twitter.com/kfITOU0bnu— Paul Hutcheon (@paulhutcheon) October 25, 2017
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