ANAS Sarwar should “hand back the cash” that the Scottish Labour Party took from “sinister think tank” as claims that he did not know the head of Labour Together are “not credible”, an SNP MSP has said.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has called for the Scottish Labour leader to "hand back the cash" and answer claims he did not know the head of “sinister” and “dodgy" think tank, Labour Together.
Robertson has said that Sarwar’s claims of not knowing the think tank leader are “not credible”, as the Electoral Commission shows that Scottish Labour Party MPs and organisations accepted more than £100,000 in total ahead of the 2024 election.
Robertson said: “Does Anas Sarwar seriously expect Scottish voters to believe he didn’t know the man responsible for flooding his party with more than £100,000?
“People will not find that credible and it’s time he ended his silence on this dodgy organisation and handed back the murky cash his party took.
“Anas Sarwar’s MPs took cash worth over £100,000 from scandal-hit Labour Together despite it being a matter of public record that the organisation was fined by the Electoral Commission for 20 breaches of the law, including failing to declare over £700,000 in donations."
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He added: “This dodgy organisation is now being investigated for paying a company to spy on journalists, the idea that Anas Sarwar can simply say ‘who?’ is for the birds.
“Not only must Anas Sarwar hand back the cash the Scottish Labour Party took from this sinister think tank, he should fully comply with any investigation that takes place.”
In 2023, Josh Simons, head of Labour Together spoke on LBC to discuss the Tories’ Rwanda plan and use of barges to house refugees.
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During the show he said: “Why don’t you send the smuggler gangs and put them on the barge that has been set aside for the asylum seekers and then ship the barge up to the north of Scotland."
Sarwar responded to these comments in 2024 saying, “My first reaction is ‘who?’ Every party has elements on the fringes that give them moments of cringe”.
The interaction has led to calls that Sarwar's claim is false.
Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he has ordered the Cabinet Office to investigate claims about Labour Together, after the group was accused of commissioning a report that investigated the background of a journalist.
The think tank allegedly paid a company at least £30,000 to “investigate the sourcing, funding and origins” of a story about undeclared donations at the think tank before the 2024 general election.
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Starmer said he “didn’t know anything” about the firm’s investigation and said “it absolutely needs to be looked into”.
The situation comes after Anas Sarwar called for Keir Starmer to resign last week at a press conference in Glasgow.
The Scottish Labour leader said there was "too many mistakes".
Roberston finished: “Anas Sarwar tried to be free of the UK Labour Party on Monday, but if that cheap stunt had even a morsel of credibility then he’d hand back the cash today, Scottish voters won’t be holding their breath.”
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The think tank was previously run by Scottish Labour MP Imogen Walker’s husband, Morgan McSweeney, between 2017 and 2020.
The Scottish Labour Party has been approached for comment.
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