Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has insisted he “absolutely” has confidence in the Prime Minister – but made clear it would be him and not Sir Keir Starmer who leads Labour’s Holyrood election campaign.
Mr Sarwar added he is “confident” Labour will win the Scottish election next year, ending almost 20 years of SNP rule.
His comments came as a Norstat poll for The Sunday Times suggested the SNP is still leading in support, but voters have Labour and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK fighting for second place.
According to the poll, more than a third (34%) of Scots will vote SNP on the constituency ballot, with Reform second with 20% support, and Labour tailing on 17%.
On the regional list, 29% are planning to vote SNP, with Reform and Labour tied on 18%.
The Scottish Labour leader dismissed polls which show his party struggling for support.
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show from the Labour party conference in Liverpool Mr Sarwar said: “When people are asked to actually vote, and the choice is put in front of them between a third decade of the SNP with John Swinney in charge and a new direction with Scottish Labour and me as first minister, I am confident we will win that argument and win that election.”
He stated: “I’ve been written off so many times in the last four years. I was written off before the last general election, we won the general election in Scotland and a landslide over the SNP.”
Labour was also “written off” in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election last year – with Mr Sarwar recalling: “Many people saying we were going to come third, we beat Reform and we beat the SNP.”
He insisted: “We have proven the pollsters and the pundits wrong, time and time again and we are going to do it again next year.”
The Scottish Labour leader added that the Prime Minister would “play his part in the election campaign in Scotland”.
But Mr Sarwar made clear: “The Scottish election is going to be led by me – I’m the candidate for first minister, not Keir Starmer.”
Asked directly if Sir Keir, whose popularity has slumped since winning last summer’s general election, was an asset, the Scottish Labour leader said: “Of course.”
But he continued: “The best thing the Prime Minister can do is get on with the work and improve people’s circumstances across the whole country.”
His comments came just days after he had refused to tell journalists if he had full confidence in Sir Keir.
He was pressed on the issue at Holyrood on Thursday as speculation mounted of a possible party leadership challenge by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
But when asked on Sunday if he has confidence in the Prime Minister, Mr Sarwar said: “Absolutely.”
Sir Keir said on Sunday that Labour is in the “fight of our lives” against Reform, and Mr Sarwar also hit out at Mr Farage and his party.
The Scottish Labour leader, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, declared: “I think I am more representative of British values than Nigel Farage will ever be.”
He claimed that Mr Farage “does not understand Scotland, doesn’t care about Scotland, probably doesn’t even know many parts of Scotland”.
Mr Sarwar added: “This is a guy that can only create the noise and is a chancer.
“He can’t win an election next year, all he can do is help the SNP stay in power.”
He pledged that Labour is “going to fight the bile and the divisive politics of Reform” but would also “confront the issues that people legitimately have and therefore are tempted to vote Reform”.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Anas Sarwar is deluded.
“The public can see as clear as day that Keir Starmer is a dud who has broken countless promises, sent household bills soaring and performed numerous U-turns, yet the Scottish Labour leader claims he’s an asset.”
