from florida on a mission to produce an enormous sd map of the cosmos. now on bbc news — political thinking with nick robinson. hello and welcome to political thinking. if, and it is a mighty big if, keir starmer makes it to number 10, the route to downing street will have to run through scotland. labour will have to win votes and votes in big numbers in the original red wall, in those once heartlands for the party north of the border. now, they have just one member of parliament. my guest on political thinking this week is labour's scottish leader, anas sarwar.

he is the son of the first muslim mp in britain, the first asian mp in scotland. he trained as a dentist but then he returned to the family business — politics. anas sarwar, welcome to political thinking. my pleasure, thanks for having us. now which is more frightening, waiting for the dentist drill or waiting for the verdict of the electric? definitely waiting for the verdict of the electorate. i mean, the great thing about dentistry is that you get to be in complete control about, you know... the dentist always asks the awkward questions when they are already in the person's mouth doing the treatment and i used to always have this thing with my patients when they came in, i always used to try and loosen them up, say, you know, "don't worry, i'm a pain—free dentist. "i never feel any pain." and, you know, that, that interaction part was what i loved about dentistry and actually the people interaction part is what i love about politics as well. i was going to say... although some people would say being a dentist, really deeply unpopular profession, being a politician, deeply unpopular profession. perhaps i'm a glutton for punishment

when it comes to these kind ofjobs! when you got this job as leader of the labour party in scotland, you said something that took me slightly aback when i read it. it was the "hardestjob in british politics". why? so i think when i took on the job, we were in third place in scotland. the greens were predicting they would push us into fourth place in scotland. we were 32 percentage points behind the snp, only 7% of people in scotland believed labour would win the next general election and nicola sturgeon had an approval rating of plus 58, which is extraordinary to even think about that, plus 58. and to try and persuade people that one, the labour party could survive. second, that the labour party was relevant to modern scotland and modern britain and then third, to try and persuade people that the labour party could govern again was something that people just thought, ok, you might do the first part but could

you do the other parts? actually, thejourney we've been on has been quite incredible. i'm sure we will touch upon that later but i would say, i still think i've got the hardest job in british politics but i think humza yousaf is catching up with me. yeah, well, we will talk about him and his problems injust a second. but you in a sense, as i said, were simply going into the family business. this was something you'd prepared your whole life for. your father was notjust an mp but a powerful and successful figure in scotland. do you feel as you grew up that this is what you were expected to do and almost certainly would do? it's interesting because i always recoiled at the thought of standing for politics. i think my father wanted me to go into politics, if i'm honest with you. when i was a teenager and i recall when he asked whether i would go into politics and i was studying and i said, no chance, i'm not going to stand for politics. he didn't speak to me for six months because he obviously wanted me to go and do that. but actually, growing up... really didn't talk to you for six months? he really didn't talk to me for six months. he denies it now of course but i know it to be true.

and the reason why i recoiled from going into politics is you mentioned him being britain's first and actually that came out a sacrifice. it came at a sacrifice for my mum, it came as a sacrifice for us as kids and we lived through controversy. we lived through people being at our doorstep, in terms of whether that's press or indeed whether that's threats or abuse and we lived with the fear of headlines, in terms of some of the dangers. there's a particularly shocking story about when you were 12, you come down the stairs and you see something on the mat at the front door? i suppose that's probably my first introduction to politics, is being a 12—year—old and going to school and seeing what looked like a strange envelope on our doorstep. rather naively, picking it up rather naively, opening it and when i opened it, it was a picture mocked up of my mum tied to a chair with two guns

pointed to her head, with the message in cut out letters saying, "bang, bang, that's all it takes." and it was a message from an organisation called combat 18 at that time, which was a far right organisation that didn't want to see the election of britain's first muslim mp and that was part of a really deliberate attempt to intimidate my family. that really made me want to recoil from the politics, i didn't want to put my own children through that. but interestingly, i decided to go into politics not because of my father, actually, but because of my mother. people often think that my dad's the driving force for my politics. actually, i don't get my politics from my dad, i get my politics from my mum. because? because i always remember throughout all that difficult period, through all the hell that my father was going through, that we were going through as kids, my mum was the constant and the rock through all of that. i remember her always saying, "we don't walk away, "we don't give up, that's what we want. "we stay and we fight." even at the age of 12... and that's a labour principle now,

if you think about all the carnage in the labour party for the last 16 years in scotland. that has constantly stayed with me. hang in there. so you're aged 12, you get this incredibly shocking piece of paper that you open. do you remember what you did next, was it her that you showed it to? so i took it upstairs, i showed it to my mum. she obviously told my dad about it. and at that point, were they thinking that's what you get if you're an asian trying to break into british politics or were they as shocked and as appalled as you as a 12—year—old boy? they accepted it as our reality because we used to get our car followed when we were going out. we used to get phone calls... i remember once vividly coming back from a family holiday from lossiemouth, my mum was from lossiemouth, she moved here when she was four years old. she lived in lossiemouth, a small seaside village in the north—east of scotland. i remember coming back and we literally entered the house, the phone rang, i picked it up and someone swearing at us saying, "good to see you're back"

and the phone slammed down again. as a warning? as a warning, absolutely. so i remember that. i remember a slingshot being fired through my bathroom window and it hitting my dad on the head, having to be hospitalised. i remember all of that really vividly. as you describe it now, it is shocking, but does it feel like another world ? here we are talking, i was looking back at something you said a few years back, back in 2006, "scotland needs an ethnic minority politician, there isn't one in scotland" is what you said. now you're not only the first asian party leader but of course there's another asian party leader in scotland, who is now the first minister, humza yousaf. we also have an asian prime minister of the uk and rishi sunak as well. does itjust feel a lifetime since your father got into politics? absolutely. i mean, my grandparents would never have imagined the situation we are in just now.

my father would never have imagined the situation we are in just now, and he always genuinely believed... my mum in particular used to say, was the reason why they were being hardest with us, the reason why they were coming after us is because they know once one gets in the door it breaks that and other people will follow. now you're clear, he really, really wanted you to be a politician. you helped him with his speeches, didn't you? you learned to argue around the kitchen table? yeah, i used to get tasked with writing, i wrote his speech against the iraq war, for example. i wrote his speech when he spoke against 90 day terror detention. i wrote his speech when he was speaking about the iraq inquiry. i was of course putting in that he should support the iraq inquiry. he was leaned on very heavily to perhaps temper that down a little bit. so that was really interesting and a real learning curve. the other really interesting thing about him was, people often forget this but he actually emigrated

here when he was 24. english, he didn't speak any english when he came at 2a, apart from the odd word, and he had to really learn english on the job when he stood for election first as a counsellor and then as a prospective labour mp. one of the things that people forget is you don'tjust speak in a certain language, you think in a certain language and he obviously thought in urdu and that obviously took time to then translate into speech—making, so that was really interesting. when you say wrote his speeches, you weren't literally doing the job that special advisers do for ministers and shadow ministers, i mean writing, the words they amend. in a way, you are having to get his thoughts down in the english he'd want to use? yeah, so i had to go to school the next day or go to university the next day and i would be literally sitting up with him until two or three in the morning, digesting what his view was and then turning that into words on paper so he could go and speak the next day. how much where his views your views? how much of that kitchen table did use it round and row? obviously i'm probably a bit more to the left than he was and i think

he was very focused on foreign policy, international development and that was his real driving force of his politics. whereas for me, it's more the national health service, our economy, education. so i think in that sense, we probably have very, very different politics and very different priorities. now there are two ways of looking at your story. on the one hand, this is an extraordinary story, yours, of success for a second—generation immigrant against some pretty foul racism. you will probably know the other way of looking at it, it's a story of immense privilege. you're the son of a member of parliament, your dad was, what, a multimillionaire in the end? having set up a cash and carry business. you went to private school. a private school which is amongst the elite in scotland and produced a whole host of scottish politicians. do you accept in that sense... ..that you've got a privileged elite background? no, absolutely, i think you can look at that story and think of course there is a sense of privilege in that.

i suppose the interesting thing in all of that is there are... i'm very, very lucky in that i never needed to worry about whether there was going to be food on the table. i never really needed to worry about, you know, the clothes i wore. i never really needed to worry about that. i suppose i probably had a very different set of inequality, which was more about my ethnicity, my faith and the impact of the kind of political culture there was around about my father. i think that probably had a bigger impact on us. but again, my mum was really crucial to this in that i always remember, even when she says it now to my own kids, she's always said, "you're never going to bejudged on the title you have. on the kind of house you have. "you're never going to bejudged on the car you drive. "you are going to bejudged on what you do for people." and that has always stayed with me. that's why again i think i get my political values from my mother rather

than my father. should that work both ways, though, because you could argue that you shouldn'tjudge people on the fact, for example, that they are rich? that they are a millionaire. now you i assume are a millionaire, your father was a multimillionaire, you inherited a lot of money, are you a millionaire? not now. i very deliberately chose to give up all of my shareholdings and what was going to come to me in terms of my father's inheritance. i made a conscious decision that i've chosen to be in public life, i've chosen to be in politics. i want to dedicate myself to serving scotland and genuinely trying to be first minister of scotland. now, i mentioned you went to a private school. people in scotland will know it, people outside scotland don't know hutchies. what is it about hutchies that produces notjust you, notjust the first minister humza yousaf but a handful of other mps and msps. i think our own laura kuenssberg went there... did she? that explains a lot! well, yes, what does it explain? what is it that that school does?

i mean, hutchies is obviously a school on the south side of glasgow and there is now a disproportionate number of pupils, particularly from a south asian background and from a jewish background that go to the school and... look, i think humza yousaf was two years below me at school. i only ever had one conversation with him at school. i'm not sure it was a very positive one! he was a nationalist back then and i was a member of the labour party so i think we kind of rubbed up the runway in that conversation as well. but i part of it is i think confidence. i think the big challenge we have two win over is, it's part of our culture in scotland and the wider uk, where we have this inherent i think... we kind of down and sell ourselves rather than upsell. if you compare us to the american education system, america

is brilliant at upselling itself. i was talking to businesspeople yesterday about scottish business. i think that's another good example, american business, great at upselling itself is that uk business, not really good at it. we have to get much better at upselling. have to get much better at welling-— have to get much better at u-asellin. ., . , ., upselling. confidence is a good thin. i upselling. confidence is a good thing. i notice _ upselling. confidence is a good thing. i notice you _ upselling. confidence is a good thing. i notice you said - upselling. confidence is a good thing. i notice you said you - upselling. confidence is a good - thing. i notice you said you weren't mates at school. we thing. i notice you said you weren't mates at school.— mates at school. we would not not mates... mates at school. we would not not mates- -- it's _ mates at school. we would not not mates... it's often _ mates at school. we would not not mates... it's often said _ mates at school. we would not not mates... it's often said humza - mates... it's often said humza yousaf our _ mates... it's often said humza yousaf our friends _ mates... it's often said humza yousaf our friends or - mates... it's often said humza yousaf our friends or work - mates... it's often said humza - yousaf our friends or work friends. how would you describe your relationship now, friends who are now political rivals?— now political rivals? look, think i've always _ now political rivals? look, think i've always had _ now political rivals? look, think i've always had the _ now political rivals? look, think i've always had the nature - now political rivals? look, think i've always had the nature and l now political rivals? look, think i i've always had the nature and the view and to be fair i think humza yousaf has the same, is we can vociferously disagree on politics. we can have the full on ding—dong in terms of either in the parliament or indeedin terms of either in the parliament or indeed in television or radio studios but that should never descend into dislike, hatred or personal stuff. 50 descend into dislike, hatred or personal stuff.— descend into dislike, hatred or personal stuff. descend into dislike, hatred or ersonal stuff. ., ., ., personal stuff. so if labour are not uuite personal stuff. so if labour are not quite there. _ personal stuff. so if labour are not quite there, haven't _ personal stuff. so if labour are not quite there, haven't got _ personal stuff. so if labour are not quite there, haven't got that - personal stuff. so if labour are notj quite there, haven't got that result they need in the next election, it

will be easy for you two guys to sort out some sort of arrangement so that the snp helps the labour party get into government, it would be mad not to, wouldn't it? let get into government, it would be mad not to, wouldn't it?— not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear. not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear- no _ not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear- no ifs — not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear. no ifs or _ not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear. no ifs or buts, - not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear. no ifs or buts, no - not to, wouldn't it? let me be clear. no ifs or buts, no deal. not to, wouldn't it? let me be . clear. no ifs or buts, no deal with the snp. the snp has built their identity on trying to destroy the labour party in scotland rather than wanting to work in partnership with the labour party.— the labour party. everything is different after— the labour party. everything is different after an _ the labour party. everything is different after an election - the labour party. everything is different after an election and | the labour party. everything is i different after an election and not before it. i different after an election and not before it. u, , different after an election and not before it. , .,, , i. before it. i can be robust with you now about — before it. i can be robust with you now about what _ before it. i can be robust with you now about what will _ before it. i can be robust with you now about what will happen - now about what will happen afterwards as well. we will go flat out to win a labour majority and we do that by winning significant seats in scotland. the do that by winning significant seats in scotland. , ., , ., in scotland. the question is what ha--ens in scotland. the question is what happens if _ in scotland. the question is what happens if and — in scotland. the question is what happens if and when _ in scotland. the question is what happens if and when you - in scotland. the question is what happens if and when you don't. l in scotland. the question is what happens if and when you don't. i | in scotland. the question is what. happens if and when you don't. i can uive ou happens if and when you don't. i can give you the — happens if and when you don't. i can give you the guarantee it will not happen. we give you the guarantee it will not ha en. ~ ., give you the guarantee it will not hauen. ~ . give you the guarantee it will not ha--en.~ ., happen. we will have you back. it miaht not happen. we will have you back. it might not be _ happen. we will have you back. it might not be a — happen. we will have you back. it might not be a coalition, - happen. we will have you back. it might not be a coalition, all - happen. we will have you back. it might not be a coalition, all sorts| might not be a coalition, all sorts of options, of course. one of the reasons i think you would acknowledge that you and the labour party in scotland are doing so well now is not because of what you have done but everything to do with the crisis that is hitting the snp and

in particular hitting nicola sturgeon, the former first minister. now you sort of should know a bit of what this is like. i mean, your own father went through a scandal in inverted commas, it almost ended his political career in this country. he wasn't in the end found guilty of anything. do you have some empathy for nicola sturgeon as she goes through this? i for nicola sturgeon as she goes through this?— for nicola sturgeon as she goes through this? for nicola sturgeon as she goes throu~h this? ~' . ., through this? i think and delete on a human level— through this? i think and delete on a human level i _ through this? i think and delete on a human level i of _ through this? i think and delete on a human level i of course - through this? i think and delete on a human level i of course have - through this? i think and delete on a human level i of course have an l a human level i of course have an empathy with anyone who is going through frankly what must be hell in any kind of form. i think even whether it is first minister is or prime ministers when they leave office, it's always struck me emotionally in terms of that kind of emotionally in terms of that kind of emotional toll you can see as taken on them, regardless of which political party they are from. the only one i didn't feel sorry for was borisjohnson when he was leaving and i don't think he did much to attract any kind of emotional

attachment there.— attract any kind of emotional attachment there. , ., , , ., attachment there. does it worry you that people — attachment there. does it worry you that people in _ attachment there. does it worry you that people in the _ attachment there. does it worry you that people in the end _ attachment there. does it worry you that people in the end can't - attachment there. does it worry you that people in the end can't resist i that people in the end can't resist using an alleged scandal to make a political point when you know what the consequences of that are personally customer first of all, it's for the police to make that judgment. it it's for the police to make that judgment-— judgment. it is not for me to interfere _ judgment. it is not for me to interfere in _ judgment. it is not for me to interfere in that _ judgment. it is not for me to interfere in that the - judgment. it is not for me to interfere in that the police i interfere in that the police investigation or make any assumptions on that police investigation. i think there is a wider point, though, which i think goes to the heart of what you are asking. if the route back for the labour party relies purely on the carnage in the snp, it's not going to work. the only route back for the labour party is one of course for people to want to move away from a government that has been in power now for 16 years and has failed to deliver. but they also need to see a positive alternative destination they can support so they can get change. d0 they can support so they can get chance. , ., ., they can support so they can get chance. , ., . . change. do they need to get a cent to understand _ change. do they need to get a cent to understand why _ change. do they need to get a cent to understand why it _ change. do they need to get a cent to understand why it went - change. do they need to get a cent to understand why it went badly i to understand why it went badly wrong? to understand why it went badly wron: ? ~ , , to understand why it went badly wron7ru, , i to understand why it went badlyj wrong?_ i remember to understand why it went badly - wrong?_ i remember being

wrong? absolutely. i remember being in glasaow wrong? absolutely. i remember being in glasgow in — wrong? absolutely. i remember being in glasgow in the _ wrong? absolutely. i remember being in glasgow in the referendum, - wrong? absolutely. i remember being in glasgow in the referendum, in - in glasgow in the referendum, in areas that i knew largely because they were the home of alex ferguson, a guy i know through my admiration as a football manager saying labour all our life, never again. have as a football manager saying labour all our life, neveragain. have you understood properly why they all our life, never again. have you understood properly why they thought that? i understood properly why they thought that? ., ., , understood properly why they thought that? g, a, , , a, understood properly why they thought that? a, a, , , ., ~ that? itotally understand. ithink it's important _ that? itotally understand. ithink it's important also _ that? itotally understand. ithink it's important also to _ that? itotally understand. ithink it's important also to reflect - that? itotally understand. ithink it's important also to reflect the l it's important also to reflect the labour party was getting that even before the referendum. the i'm not one of those leaders that thinks we were right and everybody else was wrong. the brutal reality is we lost elections in scotland because we were not good enough and we lost because we didn't deserve to win. the challenge that i've tried to overcome is one, giving people in scotland a labour party where they have a name and secondly i hope with humility, reaching out and trying to persuade people to come back. this is not the today programme interview. we will have the pleasure of doing that at some point. i will look forward _ of doing that at some point. i will look forward to _ of doing that at some point. i will

look forward to that. _ of doing that at some point. i will look forward to that. let - of doing that at some point. i will look forward to that. let me - of doing that at some point. i will look forward to that. let me ask. look forward to that. let me ask ou, oil look forward to that. let me ask you. oil and _ look forward to that. let me ask you. oil and gas. _ look forward to that. let me ask you, oil and gas, a _ look forward to that. let me ask you, oil and gas, a big - look forward to that. let me ask you, oil and gas, a big one. - look forward to that. let me ask you, oil and gas, a big one. youj look forward to that. let me ask- you, oil and gas, a big one. you and keir starmer in scotland, he can't keep away from the country now. i think he has been seven or eight times already which is good. it seems to me if you summarise it rather brutally, you are in favour of new oil and gas fields if they are approved by the labour party but not if they have to be approved by the labour party, it's like trying to have it all ways, trying to look green on the one hand but to reassure people who get their work, get theirjobs, whose communities are supported by the oil and gas industry in aberdeen and elsewhere industry in aberdeen and elsewhere in scotland... i industry in aberdeen and elsewhere in scotland- - -_ in scotland... i will say you can fli it in scotland... i will say you can flip it and _ in scotland... i will say you can flip it and look _ in scotland... i will say you can flip it and look at _ in scotland... i will say you can flip it and look at it _ in scotland... i will say you can flip it and look at it a _ in scotland... i will say you can flip it and look at it a different | flip it and look at it a different way, which is said to me earlier on. which is we have a huge opportunity here. i genuinely believe there is going to be a global leader in the green revolution and i want that global leader to be scotland. i want it to be the uk. the only way it's going to be scotland is if we have the strength of a uk treasury behind it to help us deliver it. i

the strength of a uk treasury behind it to help us deliver it.— it to help us deliver it. i suppose m oint it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to _ it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to you _ it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to you if— it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to you if you _ it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to you if you are - it to help us deliver it. i suppose my point to you if you are not i my point to you if you are not satisfying either group here. on the one hand, the greens are saying, i thought you were against oil and gas that now it seems you are in favour as long as rishi sunak approves it. you have people in the oil industry saying, i'm hearing all the words about no cliff edge and not turning off the tap, that ain't what it looks like to us. we are seeing oil well after oil well and gas field after gas field close down in the next seven years because 2030 is the target and nothing to replace them. we are not closing by the 2030s. we had said they will have a significant role for decades to come. white but not because of your decision but coming to the end of the line. that gives you the reason why we need the transition. labour's transition on our energy revolution is not driven by or guided by whether we want to glue ourselves to the street or whether we want to be luvvies or walking about in sandals and neither is it because we want to just drill for the sake of drilling

until the end of time. our energy policy is driven by three principles, which is lower bills, morejobs and energy principles, which is lower bills, more jobs and energy security. let’s more “obs and energy security. let's head more jobs and energy security. let's head to another _ more jobs and energy security. let's head to another issue _ more jobs and energy security. let's head to another issue that caused difficulty for the snp and i would argue for you, too, gender. you voted for a bill that would have allowed islay bryson, a male rapist, to become classified as a woman. irate to become classified as a woman. we were to become classified as a woman. - were very clear that there should be clear causes around those that are waiting trial for rape or sexual offences or those convicted of rape or sexual offences. but offences or those convicted of rape or sexual offences.— or sexual offences. but when you didn't aet or sexual offences. but when you didn't get your — or sexual offences. but when you didn't get your way _ or sexual offences. but when you didn't get your way in _ or sexual offences. but when you didn't get your way in the - or sexual offences. but when you | didn't get your way in the scottish parliament you said we will vote for gender reform. parliament you said we will vote for gender reform-— gender reform. partly because the government _ gender reform. partly because the government gave _ gender reform. partly because the government gave a _ gender reform. partly because the government gave a commitment l gender reform. partly because the i government gave a commitment that they would work with the equality and human rights commission to develop guidance to resolve some of thoseissues develop guidance to resolve some of those issues and they of course did not do that. but i think two really important things about the bill. the first is... gendered recognition

bill. , ., ., , first is... gendered recognition bill. ., ., bill. everyone has lost, no one feels like _ bill. everyone has lost, no one feels like they _ bill. everyone has lost, no one feels like they have _ bill. everyone has lost, no one feels like they have won. i i bill. everyone has lost, no one. feels like they have won. i don't think our trans community feel any more protected since the passing of the bill, women don't feel any more reassured so everyone has lost. the second reflection is my urging to colleagues across the uk is learn the lesson from scotland. don't make the lesson from scotland. don't make the same mistakes. find a way to navigate this that takes people with us, that finds a way of recognising the importance of recognising biological sex and protection of single sex basis while getting rid of some of the inhumanity is that excess. it of some of the inhumanity is that excess. , , ., ., , ., , excess. it seems to me a few years a . o, excess. it seems to me a few years ago. tony _ excess. it seems to me a few years ago. tony blair— excess. it seems to me a few years ago. tony blair i — excess. it seems to me a few years ago, tony blair i think— excess. it seems to me a few years ago, tony blair i think it— excess. it seems to me a few years ago, tony blair i think it was - excess. it seems to me a few years ago, tony blair i think it was who i ago, tony blair i think it was who said he would know the labour party had changed if peter mandelson was welcomed back to the heart. i like peter, welcomed back to the heart. i like peter. he's _ welcomed back to the heart. i like peter. he's a _ welcomed back to the heart. i like peter, he's a good _ welcomed back to the heart. i like peter, he's a good man. - welcomed back to the heart. i like peter, he's a good man. could i welcomed back to the heart. i like i peter, he's a good man. could labour ever welcomed _ peter, he's a good man. could labour ever welcomed jk _ peter, he's a good man. could labour ever welcomed jk rowling _ peter, he's a good man. could labour ever welcomed jk rowling back i peter, he's a good man. could labour ever welcomed jk rowling back into i ever welcomed jk rowling back into the heart of the labour party? ii<

the heart of the labour party? iif; rowling would disagree with me on the position we took on the bill but jk the position we took on the bill but jk rowling is a national treasure and notjust a national treasure for scotland but actually the whole of the uk. i'll give you one practical example. i had a really good fortune last year after three years of covid to go on an international holiday and i took my kids, my young kids to universal studios. there is a whole big part of universal studios dedicated to harry potter. if people around the world can celebrate the creativity in the mind ofjk rowling, it would be an absolute tragedy if we didn't celebrate that here. she is a national treasure and one we should respect. bud here. she is a national treasure and one we should respect.— here. she is a national treasure and one we should respect. and would you meet with her. — one we should respect. and would you meet with her, talk _ one we should respect. and would you meet with her, talk with _ one we should respect. and would you meet with her, talk with her, - one we should respect. and would you meet with her, talk with her, see i one we should respect. and would you meet with her, talk with her, see if. meet with her, talk with her, see if you could persuade her? i meet with her, talk with her, see if you could persuade her?— meet with her, talk with her, see if you could persuade her? i would, of course, you could persuade her? i would, of course. why — you could persuade her? i would, of course. why not? — you could persuade her? i would, of course, why not? i've _ you could persuade her? i would, of course, why not? i've always - course, why not? i've always believed there is common ground that can be found and compromise that can be found and a way forward if people have the political will.— have the politicalwill. some people sa tender have the politicalwill. some people say gender reform, _ have the politicalwill. some people say gender reform, even _ have the politicalwill. some people say gender reform, even what i have the politicalwill. some people say gender reform, even what we i have the political will. some people i say gender reform, even what we have been discussing on oil and grass dill gas, it proves power lies in westminster but not holyrood. would

you want to follow your father and come down the road from where we are talking to westminster? i come down the road from where we are talking to westminster?— talking to westminster? i want to hel elect talking to westminster? i want to help elect more — talking to westminster? i want to help elect more scottish - talking to westminster? i want to help elect more scottish mps, i i help elect more scottish mps, i don't want to be a scottish labour mp. i had a great pleasure of serving him forfive mp. i had a great pleasure of serving him for five years. the people of scotland decided that was enough and they wanted a change and i have had the pleasure of being in the scottish parliament since 2016. but i honestly believe we have a job of work to do in scotland that having a strong scottish labour party and i believe, i hope a strong scottish leadership in the labour party, helps us deliver a strong government. party, helps us deliver a strong government-— party, helps us deliver a strong covernment. . ., ., ., government. including a man who rumour has _ government. including a man who rumour has it. _ government. including a man who rumour has it, keir _ government. including a man who rumour has it, keir starmer, i government. including a man who i rumour has it, keir starmer, doesn't always play fair. you rumour has it, keir starmer, doesn't always play fair-— always play fair. you are talking about football _ always play fair. you are talking about football here, _ always play fair. you are talking about football here, opening i always play fair. you are talking about football here, opening upj always play fair. you are talking i about football here, opening up old wounds? this is where you get to open up another scottish grievance, where i think you are referring to a five aside football match we had where i was captain of team scotland and keir was captain of team

england. it shows you, i suppose you could spin a positive out of this, his ruthless hunger to make sure he always wins. we were winning that game i should have you know after 60 minutes by a clear six goals. actually, he was rather smart in having one of his staff being the referee and in charge of the clock and extended the game by 35 minutes until his team went one goal up and then they blew the whistle. so i have got that ingrained scottish grievance after it so i welcome a rematch any time.— rematch any time. anas sarwar, leader of the _ rematch any time. anas sarwar, leader of the scottish _ rematch any time. anas sarwar, leader of the scottish labour i rematch any time. anas sarwar, i leader of the scottish labour party, thank you forjoining me. there is an awful lot riding on how anas sarwar handles the next year or so. he knows, keir starmer knows, if they don't get labour�*s message in scotland right, they won't get into they don't get labour�*s message in scotland right, they won't get into power. perhaps he's hardened by the power. perhaps experience of a father who didn't speak to him for six whole months

when he said he didn't want to go into politics. thanks for watching. hello there. last month was record breakingly warm and dry for many areas. we start this month, though, on a very different note. it's cooler, fresher, some blustery showers around, all thanks to low pressure. as we head into part two of the weekend, it'll be pretty similar to what we saw today. now we end the last few hours of saturday with low pressure sitting to the north of the uk. lots of isobars and so it stays windy here. and as we head through the night, we'll see further rain affecting northern scotland, the northern isles, windy weather here, some blustery showers further south, though, fewer than what we had

through the day and some drier spells altogether across southern and eastern areas. but quite a cool night to come. these are towns and city values, may be cooler than that in rural spots. so for sunday, the center of low pressure is moving towards scandinavia. we've still got a run of north westerly winds and we're still got this weather front bringing wet weather to the far north of scotland into the northern isles. some blustery showers for scotland, northern ireland, maybe north west england, west wales, south west england. but there's a chance the southeast of england should escape most of the showers. there could be the odd one moving through and see some good spells of sunshine where we'll see temperatures up to 21 or 22 degrees. it's the mid to high teens further north. so i think conditions look all right at lord's for the rest of the cricket there. variable cloud, some sunshine, quite breezy, mind you, and top temperatures around 20, 21 celsius. then through sunday night, it looks like any of the showers fade away towards southern and eastern areas but continue again across northern and western areas with more persistent rain for the northern isles and a cooler night to come, i think, for the northern of cities and towns. in half of the country, we're in single digits quite widely there. so monday, we've still got our

area of low pressure influencing our weather. this feature just may enhance the shower activity across ireland and then travel across the irish sea to move into england and wales. so we start monday off probably on a dry and bright note with some sunshine. then the clouds build, showers rattle their way in from the west across england and wales and we hold on to the wet showery weather across the northern half of scotland. so quite an unsettled day i think, again feeling on the cool side for the time of year — we could be just about up to 21 degrees in the south east, givien some good spells of sunshine. and we could see some heavy maybe thundery rain at times across england and wales as we head through tuesday and wednesday. just some indication of it turning a little bit drier and warmer towards the end of the week.

live from london, this is bbc news. extra police officers are deployed across france amid fears of a fifth night of rioting triggered by the fatal shooting of a teenager by police. twitter temporarily restricts how many tweets users can see. hello. i'm samantha simmonds. we start in france, where the nationwide unrest over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police has prompted ministers to again deploy 45 thousand officers on the streets, with reinforcements sent with reinforcements sent to lyon and marseille. to lyon and marseille. president macron cancelled his president macron cancelled his scheduled visit to germany due scheduled visit to germany due

to the ongoing rioting in a number to the ongoing rioting in a number of cities and towns.