Sir Keir Starmer will use his Scottish Labour speech to condemn the “dangerous right-wing politics” of Reform UK.
The Prime Minister is set to insist that Nigel Farage’s party is not the right answer for Scotland or Britain.
An opinion poll earlier this week put Reform UK ahead of Labour, with other polls north of the border, meanwhile, suggesting the party could win its first ever seats at Holyrood in next May’s Scottish elections.
At a Holyrood level, polls have suggested Scottish Labour could suffer its worst Scottish Parliament election result in the history of devolution.
It is a far cry from the triumphant general election win in July 2024, when Scottish Labour won 37 seats, up from just one, while the SNP fell to nine.
However, Scottish Labour MP, Brian Leishman, MP for Grangemouth and Alloa, told The Herald the Prime Minister is “letting down” Scotland because of his “inaction” on Grangemouth.
The Prime Minister will address delegates at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow on Sunday.
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He will accuse Reform UK of holding “dangerous right wing” views, adding the party will “say they are the ones who can tilt politics towards the interests of working people”.
But he will insist that “their proposals do precisely the opposite”, adding that Labour has “to be ready for this test, ready to point out that beneath the bluster, the alternative they offer is alien to working people”.
Hitting out at Reform UK, which won five seats in last year’s general election, the Prime Minister will say: “You want to know what Farage and Reform are doing, on their rare visits to Parliament?
“They’re voting against our employments right Bill. They talk the language of workers’ rights online and on doorsteps, but they want to charge people to use the NHS.
“They are not the answer people are looking for. That is not the answer for Britain. And it will never be the answer for Scotland.”
His comments will come as he addresses Scottish Labour conference for the first time since Labour won power in July’s general election.
But the Prime Minister will hit out at John Swinney’s Scottish Government, accusing them of failing to seize the opportunities offered by his Labour administration in Westminster.
The SNP will come under fire for voting against Labour’s budget, with Sir Keir to say the Scottish Government had been given a £47.7 billion settlement that was “the most money ever provided in the devolution era”, providing a “stable foundation for the economy”.
While he will say this cash provides “more money for Scottish schools, more money for Scottish hospitals, more money for Scottish police services, more money for Scotland”, he will condemn the SNP for voting against it, claiming this shows “the same old SNP – gesture politics first, Scotland second”.
Sir Keir will also raise the “possibilities for change” for Scotland if voters elected a Labour government at Holyrood in 2026.
He will tell the conference: “While we will work with whoever the Scottish people elect, just imagine what we could achieve, together.
“Imagine the possibilities for change. If we end the 19-year SNP rule in Scotland as emphatically as we ended 14 years of Tory rule in Britain.
“A Labour government in Westminster, a Labour government in Holyrood, with Anas Sarwar, a Labour first minister.”
A Reform Scotland spokesman said: “Keir Starmer can try and deflect all he wants but the reality is that he is failing Scotland and he is now a deeply unpopular figure here.
“Whilst Labour continue the Tory tradition of failing Scotland in Westminster, Reform offer real change from status quo. Scottish people are sick of Tory and Labour lies.”
The spokesman added: “Scotland is broken, Scotland needs Reform.”
SNP Depute Westminster leader Pete Wishart MP said: “Scottish voters will have to use their imagination when it comes to Labour’s invisible promises and policies. Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar have promised change but only delivered disappointment- on Grangemouth, energy bills and support for pensioners.
“Whilst Starmer and the Labour party are so desperately scrambling to beat Nigel Farage to second place, instead under John Swinney’s leadership the SNP is focused on the issues that really matter to the people of Scotland- investing in the NHS, eradicating child poverty, supporting jobs and driving economic growth.”
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