Keir Starmer wrong to deny Waspi women payout – Anas Sarwar

First Minister John Swinney said the UK government’s decision was a “serious embarrassment” for Scottish Labour.

Responding to Sarwar, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn posted on X: “Labour’s Branch Office Manager in Scotland helpfully confirming, once again, that he holds no sway over Labour in London.”

Speaking to BBC Scotland News earlier, he branded Labour ministers “cowards” and accused the UK government of betraying Waspi women.

“It’s been happy enough to offer an apology, but it’s not happy to offer compensation – against the advice of the independent experts,” Flynn said.

He has urged opposition members to force a vote in Parliament to “flush out” Labour MPs “shameless enough to stand behind the plaques saying that they backed the Waspi campaign but who are now of course backing Keir Starmer’s spineless government”.

Sarwar’s call marks the third time he has publicly diverged from UK Labour on a major issue since Sir Keir took office in July.

The Scottish Labour leader has previously spoken out against the two-child benefits cap, which the prime minister has refused to scrap, and suggested means testing on pensioners for the winter fuel payment was too strict.