ANAS Sarwar was left seething over claims he had offered to work with Reform UK to prevent an SNP victory in the Holyrood election.
The Scottish Labour leader has lashed out at the SNP for seizing on Malcolm Offord’s claim that Sarwar had “bounced up to him” and offered to join forces with the right-wing party.
Offord dropped the bombshell claim, immediately denied by Sarwar, during the Channel 4 leaders debate on Tuesday night.
The SNP jumped on the Reform UK candidate’s comments, saying they proved Labour were “in cahoots with Nigel Farage”.
Sarwar issued an angry denial, calling Offord’s comments a “desperate lie from a desperate man”.
READ MORE: Has Malcolm Offord just derailed Scottish Labour's Holyrood campaign with pact claim?
In a separate post on social media, the Scottish Labour leader said: “Reform has questioned my loyalty to my country. Their candidate said my children should be deported.
“I want absolutely nothing to do with them and John Swinney should be ashamed of himself for trying to pretend otherwise.”
In a lengthy denial issued on Tuesday evening, Sarwar added: “These are the same people who have spent tens of thousands of pounds on racist adverts targeting me, and whose candidates have made deeply racist remarks, including calls to deport all Muslims - which would include my own children.
Reform has questioned my loyalty to my country.
Their candidate said my children should be deported.
I want absolutely nothing to do with them and John Swinney should be ashamed of himself for trying to pretend otherwise. pic.twitter.com/zmVtEeqf33— Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) April 14, 2026
“For John Swinney to jump on this when he is happy to call out Reform’s lies and racism elsewhere but somehow chooses to imply we are doing a deal with them when it concerns racism directed at me – is deeply disappointing.
“Our politics should be better than that, and frankly I thought John Swinney was better than that.
“I understand why he may think it is politically useful, but morally he should take a long, hard look at himself.
READ MORE: Pro-Scottish Labour group turns on Anas Sarwar over ‘transphobic' manifesto
“Let me be unequivocal: no stitch-ups, no deals, no backroom chats, no back-channel contact with Reform. I only want one deal, and that is with the people of Scotland.”
But the SNP were adamant Offord’s claims had the ring of truth, with party spinners pointing to an analysis piece in The Scotsman last month in which the author reckoned Labour’s path to government would rely on Reform votes in the Scottish Parliament.
David Bol, the journalist who wrote the piece, confirmed on the social media platform Bluesky that Labour sources had told him their party would need to rely on Reform's support to claim victory in the Holyrood election.
Sharing a link to the piece, he wrote: "This was my original story on this, revealing Labour insiders would rely on Reform to vote in Anas Sarwar as first Minister if the numbers stack up."
And SNP councillor Craig Walker tweeted: “It was Malcom Offord that suggested Labour would/want to work with Reform not John Swinney. Labour have worked with Reform in Fife I've seen it with my own eyes.”
Share