Labour announces plan to 'clean up Holyrood' and restore trust in parliament

He plans to consult on a number of ideas, including the establishment of an independent ethics commission to oversee the Scottish Government.

He suggested MSPs could also be given the same parliamentary protections – such as from contempt of court rules – as MPs. 

Meanwhile, a right to recall MSPs in "exceptional circumstances" could also be considered.

This has been a hot topic in recent months following the downfall of former SNP Finance Secretary Derek Mackay over messages he sent to a 16-year-old boy.

Despite being suspended from the SNP and disappearing from the public eye, Mr Mackay clung on as the MSP for Renfrewshire North and West and remained entitled to his full salary.

Mr Sarwar made the comments while speaking to members of the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists' Association

He said: "We are rightly proud of our role in establishing a devolved parliament, but we have to accept that trust and faith in parliament has been lost in recent years.

"We need to rebuild that because only when people believe that Holyrood works for them will we be able to unite Scotland.

"We cannot allow the circus that has defined the start of this campaign or the institutional failures that defined the Alex Salmond inquiry to run over into the parliament of the next five years.

"The pandemic doesn't end when lockdown ends - and Scotland's recovery requires a government focused on solutions - and MSPs who have the tools to make sure they are getting it right.

"Scotland deserves so much better than a parliament where egos, agenda and grudges are allowed to run rampant.

"And that is what is at stake in this election - we have a choice to put people, their families and our national recovery first.

"The pandemic has changed Scotland – it’s time to ditch the old politics of division and focus instead on working together on the things we can do."

Labour's consultation will also explore reforms to Freedom of Information legislation. 

This could include a presumption in favour of proactive publication of public information held by authorities, subject only to limited exceptions.

Meanwhile, committee conveners in Holyrood could be elected by the whole Scottish Parliament as part of a bid to strengthen the system.

Mr Sarwar also suggested splitting the dual role of the Lord Advocate, who is the principal legal advisor to the Scottish Government while also being in charge of prosecutions.

He said the last few weeks have brought the issues of transparency and accountability into "sharp focus". 

Controversy has centred on Holyrood's inquiry into the Alex Salmond saga, which recently published its final report.

MSPs found First Minister Nicola Sturgeon misled the committee, while her Government's handling of harassment complaints was "seriously flawed".

During the inquiry, members expressed frustration over Government delays in handing over evidence.

In their final report, they said their work had been hindered by a failure to produce key documents until a very late stage.

Mr Sarwar said: "We have had called into question the principles of accountability and transparency in our parliament.

"We have had lots of games being played on a very, very serious issue around a harassment inquiry. 

"And we have, I'm afraid, at times allowed the parliament to descend, and the Government to descend, into a bit of a joke when there are really, really huge and serious issues facing not just the country more widely in terms of Covid, but also serious issues in relation to the harassment inquiry. 

"I just think that breaks down trust in our parliament. It breaks down trust in our politics. And actually, we as a collective pay a price for that."

He added: "When our politics is shaken, when our democracy is shaken, when our parliament is shaken, it has a negative consequence on all of us."