VOTING for Scottish Labour is the only way to provide a better opposition in the Scottish Parliament after May’s elections, Anas Sarwar said today.

The party leader warned that if the Scottish Conservatives remain the largest opposition party at Holyrood, then “old arguments” would dominate the next five years.

Mr Sarwar has instead pledged to focus on national recovery from the coronavirus pandemic in the next parliament.

He said: “For too long, the people of Scotland have been let down by the SNP government and a game-playing and incompetent Tory opposition.

“We cannot let the circus of the last few weeks become the parliament of the next five years.

“The people of Scotland deserve a better parliament and, to do that, they need a better government and a better opposition.

“And the key to getting a better government is having a better opposition.”

Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens are outlining further policy commitments in their election manifesto, which is being launched on Wednesday. 

The party, which polls suggest could see its number of MSPs hit double figures, has pledged to establish a Scottish centre for peace.

It said that the new centre would be based on similar facilities in other countries that carry out research into peaceful conflict resolution, as well as hosting international summits, talks and mediations — including peace negotiations.

The Scottish Greens believe that such a centre could help contribute to building “sustainable, lasting peace in conflict zones throughout the world.”

Party co-leader Lorna Slater said: “Armed conflict affects hundreds of millions of people across the world every day.

“Scotland may be far from the front lines, but we can, and must, contribute to solutions and play our part in creating lasting global peace.

“With a strong reputation for internationalism, Scotland is perfectly placed to establish a centre for peace modelled on the success of similar programmes such as those run by our neighbours in Norway.”

The Scottish Greens also said that improvements in working conditions for hospitality staff must be part of a new deal for workers. Co-leader Patrick Harvie noted that insecure work and low wages were “endemic” in the industry before the pandemic.