SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar has accused First Minister John Swinney and the SNP of being “architects of divisive politics in Scotland” a day after attending the First Minister’s summit on tackling the far right.

The summit of political, civic and religious leaders had been called by Mr Swinney after polling warned that Reform UK could be on course to win seats at next year’s Holyrood elections.

But Mr Sarwar used today's First Minister’s Questions to lay the blame for the far-right threat on Scottish government’s “failures.”

Accusing Mr Swinney of having his “head in the sand” at the summit, he said: “As I feared, what was missing was any reflection on SNP government failure and how that drives people to divisive politics.

“The fact is the SNP government has lost its way and is out of steam, and they are responsible for divisive politics in our country, so they cannot be the ones to sort it.”

“Can John Swinney see that he and his party’s failures have made them the architects of divisive politics in Scotland?”

Insisting he was “proud” of his government’s track record on housing, the NHS and tackling child poverty, Mr Swinney hit back: “I fear that the progress we are making in Scotland is going to be damaged by the welfare reforms of the United Kingdom’s Labour government.”

Looking forward to next year’s Holyrood elections, he added: “That demonstrates there is no point in the Labour Party because Labour delivers poverty and austerity to the people of Scotland when this SNP government is reducing child poverty in this country.

“I will take that to the country and be proud of our record.”