Ask any unionist politician in Scotland about the SNP’s record in government and it won’t take long for the ferries to gleefully be mentioned.

The SNP’s mismanagement of the ferries has been an unmitigated disaster. But in relative terms, it impacts few voters and has, up until now at least, not been politically fatal.

Despite being a huge talking point at Holyrood for years, the SNP has been able to shrug off a lot of the criticism, confident that it won’t do any damage at the ballot box.

But it appears the ferries fiasco could finally be coming home to roost for the Scottish Government. The next poll, a Westminster general election, could be the moment that months and years of pressure from opposition MSPs over Scotland’s flailing fleet finally pays off.

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The Western Isles seat at Westminster was held by Labour from 1987 to 2005 and Mr Sarwar’s presence on the islands this week firmly plants the red flag in the key battleground target.

Labour has selected former political journalist Torcuil Crichton to contest the seat, a strong candidate with a personality which will chime with many islanders.

He is set to take on the SNP’s incumbent Angus MacNeil – who for the most part, distances himself from the Scottish Government. It’s easy to see why.

Scotland’s other island communities in Orkney and Shetland are likely to remain LibDem.

Skye, which has a road link, is currently held by former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford but is likely to be a key target for Alex Cole-Hamilton’s party. Once a LibDem stronghold, Mr Cole-Hamilton would relish very little more than seeing Mr Blackford lose his seat, if for no other reason, than reclaiming it for Charles Kennedy.

And Humza Yousaf has personal responsibility for the ferries.

As Nicola Sturgeon had her time as health secretary thrown at her for the state of the NHS, the new first minister has his time as transport minister to answer for in relation to the ferries as well as his stint in charge of the health service.

Mr Yousaf has not sent out the most positive of messages to island communities, downgrading his government’s transport secretary to junior minister status.

Mr Sarwar claimed his week that the SNP has ”taken for granted” Scotland’s island’s communities, as he focuses on the ferries.

Yesterday, he declared Scottish Labour is election ready – an incredibly bold statement at least 18 months out from the next significant polling event.

As a political leader, Mr Sarwar ebbs confidence. It is a key element of Scottish Labour’s appeal to voters – in stark contrast to the party’s UK leader. But confidence can only get politicians so far.

As part of his battle preparations, Mr Sarwar has given no-nonsense deputy leader Jackie Baillie and Union-loving solitary Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray responsibility to co-ordinate the campaign.

Polling has indicated that Labour has gained support since Mr Yousaf replaced Ms Sturgeon as first minister, while the SNP missing fund investigation is likely to damage support for the ruling party further.

Polling expert, Sir John Curtice, has today warned that even before the scandal engulfing the SNP over its finances emerged, “Labour in Scotland had already emerged as a potential challenger to the SNP’s dominance of Scottish representation at Westminster”.

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