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The leader of Labour’s Scottish branch office has confirmed he will not push for the Scottish Parliament to have powers over immigration. Anas Sarwar’s deeply disappointing rejection of

devolving immigration powers follows a similar refusal to countenance the devolution of employment law. Illustrating how Labour’s leader in Scotland has been increasingly succumbing to

pressure from his Westminster bosses. > 🥀”Whatever I say will be what Anas says,” Keir Starmer has > told journalists during a campaign event in Scotland >  > Scottish Labour 

leader Anas Sarwar had looked to answer a question > put to the UK leader on the SNP’s independence proposals > pic.twitter.com/0UVPAmX2Rl >  > — The National (@ScotNational) 

September 29, 2023 Anas Sarwar has frequently struggled to show he has any influence in his own party, recently performing u-turns on his opposition to Tory policies after pressure from

Westminster leader Keir Starmer. Labour in Scotland was humiliated over its attempts to balance its previous position opposing the Tories’ welfare cuts and austerity economics with Keir

Starmer’s embrace of them as Labour policy. Speaking on the BBC Sunday Show, Anas Sarwar confirmed his party would not push for the Scottish Parliament to hold the powers over immigration.

It is obvious that Scotland faces an urgent demographic challenge, distinct from the rest of the UK – with an ageing population that is projected to fall 1.5% by 2045, while at the same time

the UK population as a whole is expected to grow by almost 6%. Over the same period, it is projected there will be a 22% fall in the number of children in Scotland and a 30% rise in the

number of over 65s. These population shifts will present significant challenges in terms of how we fund and deliver public services, requiring Scotland-specific solutions. This challenge is

being exacerbated by a hostile Westminster migration system that does not account for Scotland’s specific needs and a hard Brexit that Scotland voted against, which brought an end to free

movement. Scotland’s ageing population is one of the biggest issues future generations will face, unless action is taken today. Devolving even certain elements of migration law would allow

Scotland to chart its own course and attract the immigrants we need to contribute to our economy and public services. Instead, both of the main Westminster parties are intent on chasing each

other to the right in an effort to demonise immigrants who choose to live in the UK and contribute to our economy. > 🛑 The UK government’s toxic anti-refugee and anti-immigration > 

politics are not in our name. We need more humanity, not less. >  > 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland is proud to be a welcoming > country – and there’s no place for the Tory hostile environment

> here. #pmqs pic.twitter.com/CxyTLxkcQp >  > — The SNP (@theSNP) April 26, 2023 Westminster’s ideological fixation with immigration too often sees everyone from international

workers to refugees used as a political football. Furthermore, businesses are aware of the challenges Westminster’s attitude is presenting; a healthier and more pragmatic approach to the

issue is needed to grow Scotland’s economy and secure the long term safety of public services. From our farms to our universities, immigration is a vital part of Scotland’s success and it is

only going to be more important going forward in ensuring our businesses, especially in rural Scotland, have the skilled workers needed to sustainably grow our economy. With both the Tories

and Labour refusing to devolve the powers over migration that would enable us to take the actions needed here in Scotland, it’s clear that only the SNP is up to the job of sensible

governance over playground politics. But the hard truth is that only with independence from Westminster’s intolerance of immigration can we address Scotland’s urgent population challenges

and protect our economy and public services.