SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar has revealed that racist abuse targeting him has increased since he was elected head of his party, but said he no longer pays attention to it.
In an exclusive interview on Monday (26) with Eastern Eye, the Asian politician also said that “organisations needed to confront the prejudices they may not see but that do exist”.
He acknowledged the UK was a “very outward-looking and progressive country at times”, but there had been “division in the last 10 years”.
The Glasgow-born politician is currently campaigning for the Scottish parliament elections, with the result of the vote due to be announced on May 6. He is pitted against the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) Nicola Sturgeon; Scottish Conservative candidate Douglas Ross; the Scottish Green Party’s co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie; and Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie.
Sarwar, who is of Pakistani heritage, made history in February after he was elected head of the Scottish Labour party, becoming the first British Asian to lead a UK political party.
Although he acknowledged the significance of the result, Sarwar said society should be not complacent about racial inequality. “We can’t fall into the trap of thinking the fight for equality is over – far from it,” he said. “We still have huge inequalities in our society, so how do we confront them? It can’t just be words, there has to be action.”
Sarwar has been open about the racist abuse he has faced since entering politics. In a 2017 interview with Eastern Eye, he revealed he faced regular abuse on social media and experienced Islamophobia on a “daily basis”.
Asked if the abuse had worsened since he became Labour leader, Sarwar admitted it had, but he tended not to read posts on Twitter any more.
“I used to have a really bad habit of seeing what my replies to my tweets were, or what people were saying about me,” the 38-year-old said. “One of the joys of being in the middle of a campaign is it is so non-stop and relentless that I don’t get a chance to go on social media and check. It’s quite liberating.”
In March, a report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) said the UK “should be regarded as a model for other white majority countries” and denied institutional racism existed.
Labour leader Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar meet staff outside a vaccine center at the EICC on March 18, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland
Asked if he agreed, Sarwar said he did not believe there was a “single institution, organisation or political party which is immune to all forms of prejudice”. “I think anyone who suggests otherwise is living in cloud cuckoo land,” Sarwar said. “That is not to say we are a prejudiced nation – I don’t believe we are, I think we are a very outward looking and progressive country at times.
“But I think some of that has been undermined by the division of the last 10 years. We shouldn’t have Scottish or British exceptionalism – we aren’t immune, and every organisation needs to be taking steps to confront the prejudices they may not see, but that do exist.”
However, Sarwar recalled that his first experience of racism within politics did not start with him. His father, Mohammad Sarwar, served as a Labour MP for Glasgow Central from 1997 to 2010, making him the first Muslim to sit in the UK parliament. His father’s experiences with racism, Sarwar said, “put him off” being in politics.
“When your father’s aspiring to be Britain’s first Muslim MP, the first ethnic minority MP from Scotland, there was prejudice that came along with it, and it was tough,” the father-of-three said. “If anything, that put me off politics. It didn’t cause me to go towards it.”
Sarwar revealed that people often assumed it was his father’s influence which spurred him to pursue a career in politics, but it was, in fact, his mother who had inspired his career choice. “My mother has never been a politician or stood for elections, but she is the best politician because she is value driven,” he explained. “She is outcome driven and always making sure our feet are firmly on the ground.”
Anas Sarwar, pictured with his wife and three children in 2017
Since Sarwar took charge of the party, public approval has surged. A recent You-Gov survey showed the proportion of voters who believe he is doing a good job has risen to 39 per cent from 18 per cent since the beginning of March.
Despite his popularity at the polls, Sarwar has been open about his chances of becoming first minister. The Scottish Labour party’s appeal has declined over the last two decades, something which he acknowledges. In the 2015 general election, the party experienced one of its worst defeats ever when it lost 40 of its 41 seats to the SNP.
Nevertheless, Sarwar is determined to see his party make a comeback. “I’m not coming into this pretending that in the space of weeks I’m going to be able to overturn 20 years of decline in Scotland,” he said. “I don’t pretend to be Superman, but what I want to demonstrate is we are back in the bench, we are relevant to people’s lives and we are on a journey of change. And not just change for its own sake, in terms of as a political party, but being able to change the country we all love.”
During his campaign, Sarwar has emphasised he does not support a second referendum for Scottish independence. Instead, he believes efforts should be put into Covid recovery. The Scottish Labour party’s manifesto, released last week, put forward a fivepoint plan to help the country recover from the pandemic. It centred on jobs, the NHS, education, climate, and the community.
Was he concerned his stance on a second referendum could lose him support from Scottish voters? “I’ll be honest – I don’t support independence and I don’t support a referendum. If I thought they would help further the values which I believe it, I would support it, but it does not,” he said. “I refuse to only speak to or only attempt to have a recovery plan which works for the half of the country that agree with me on the constitution.”
Anas Sarwar is currently campaigning for the Scottish parliament elections
Sarwar added: “Covid didn’t choose between yes, no, leave and remain, and neither will the aftermath. So, let us try another programme which works for everyone across our country.”
He said the idea of a referendum has divided Scotland, as much as Brexit split the rest of Britain in recent years. He is keen to move past the “us versus them” narrative, stating that people needed to remember the “ability to disagree, but not dislike”.
“Just because we don’t agree does not mean they are the enemy,” he said. “That kind of politics doesn’t help anybody.”
COMMUNITIES remain at risk of fresh unrest unless urgent action is taken to address deep-seated social tensions, a new report, published one year after last summer's riots, has cautioned.
Titled 'The State of Us' by British Future thinktank and the Belong Network, the report published on Tuesday (15) said successive governments have failed to take action and warned that a "powder keg" of unresolved grievances could easily ignite again without immediate intervention.
Immigration and asylum remain contentious issues, as per the report.
Three in ten respondents selected "divisions between people who have migrated to the UK, arrived as refugees or sought asylum, and people born in the UK" as the top issue affecting how people from different backgrounds get on locally.
There are widespread worries about the cost-of-living, declining public services, and inequality - leading to frustration about the potential for political change, the survey found.
In a foreword to the report, Sir Sajid and Cruddas wrote: “The bonds that hold society together – civic participation and a shared sense of belonging – are under growing pressure. This is leaving our society more fragmented, fragile and less resilient to internal and external threats. At the same time, forces driving division are intensifying, political polarisation is deepening and trust in institutions is declining.”
“Only through coordinated leadership and collaboration across sectors can we build resilience and connection on a national scale – but it will take boldness, bravery, and a willingness to step outside our comfort zones.”
Led by senior researcher Jake Puddle and co-authored by Jill Rutter and Heather Rolfe, the latest study gathered evidence from 177 UK organisations working on social cohesion through regional roundtables and 113 written submissions. They also conducted a nationally representative survey by Focaldata and held eight focus groups in towns and cities across the UK, including areas that experienced riots.
“Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion. People's engagement with society is increasingly shaped through online platforms, creating an environment where misinformation can direct grievances toward minority groups. Online hate and clickbait headlines perpetuate anxiety through a sense of ‘permanent crisis’,” it noted.
“Trust in politicians has reached very low levels, with the public viewing them as self-interested and disconnected from their concerns. Across the UK, people report feeling less aligned to mainstream political parties and sceptical about their ability to deliver change.”
According to the study, three in ten adults - around 15 million people - said they rarely or never have opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds. A similar number say they don't frequently get a chance to meet other people at all in their local community.
Meanwhile, at neighbourhood level, 69 per cent of people feel their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. It highlighted many examples of successful community work across the UK, often led by local authorities and civil society organisations.
Kelly Fowler, chief executive of the Belong Network, said: "Good work is happening across the UK on cohesion and community strength, but it is patchy and often confined to areas of high diversity or where tensions have spilled over into unrest. A lack of sustained funding limits its impact. It's time this issue was treated with the urgency it merits, in every part of Britain. We must not wait for more riots to happen."
The report said while strong foundations exist at neighbourhood level, coordinated leadership and collaboration across all sectors will be essential to build resilience and connection on a national scale.
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The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a 'comprehensive operation'. (Photo: Getty Images)
FOUR members of an organised crime network that stole more than £1 million worth of jewellery from Indian and South Asian families in London have been sentenced to a total of 17 years and one month in prison.
The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a “comprehensive operation” that led to the imprisonment of Jerry O’Donnell, 33, Barney Maloney, Quey Adger, 23, and Patrick Ward, 43. All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to burglary.
The police said the group “largely targeted the South Asian community throughout the capital”.
“This comprehensive operation enabled us to disrupt a key part of an organised crime network. As a result of the work conducted by specialist officers, a handful of serial criminals will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars,” said Detective Sergeant Lee Davison of the Met Police, who led the investigation.
“While the monetary value of this crime is staggering, its sentimental worth is priceless. I hope these men spend a lot of time reflecting on the impact their actions have had on the community,” he said.
Three of the men – O’Donnell, Maloney and Adger – were arrested in July 2024 during a one-year intelligence-led operation covering London and surrounding counties. They were detained while carrying stolen jewellery and were each sentenced to over five years in prison.
CCTV enquiries had identified their car as being connected to several burglaries. Specialist officers pursued the vehicle and conducted a forced stop. Officers found hundreds of items inside, including a gold wedding ring, gold necklaces, and a solid gold hair pin.
Ward was arrested separately at his home address. Intelligence obtained during the investigation linked him to the group as a member of the same organised network. He was sentenced to two years and five months.
As part of the investigation, officers also raided a jewellery shop in Hatton Garden, where they believed stolen gold was being melted down and sold. Police recovered £50,000 in cash and eight kilos of jewellery from the location.
The recovered items included a World War One officer’s Rolex, a gold locket containing old photographs, an engraved gold ring, and a gold pocket watch marked Harlow Bros Ltd.
“While the most identifiable items were reunited with their rightful owners after dozens of people came forward following a media appeal in March, detectives are still looking to identify the owners of the remaining jewellery and urge anyone who may have been a victim to contact police,” the Met Police said in a statement.
The thefts took place between December 2023 and July 2024 from homes across south London, including Croydon, Sutton and Wandsworth, as well as in Surrey, Sussex and Essex.
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Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
FOUR weeks before an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, media reports cited a safety notice issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlighting potential issues with fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft.
The CAA has now clarified that the safety notice in question — Safety Notice Number SN-2015/005 — was originally issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 only to change the contact email address. This routine administrative update caused the document to appear on the CAA website as if it were newly issued.
A CAA spokesperson said: “Whilst the Air India accident investigation is ongoing, we do not have any technical concern with regards to Boeing products and we do not require any additional actions from UK operators.”
According to India Today, the notice was dated May 15 and instructed operators of Boeing models including the 787 Dreamliner to assess a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Directive concerning fuel shutoff valve actuators. These valves are safety devices designed to stop fuel flow to engines.
"The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) addressing a potential unsafe condition affecting fuel shutoff valves installed on the following Boeing aircraft: B737, B757, B767, B777, B787," the CAA notice stated, according to the report.
The CAA had ordered daily checks and possible testing, inspection or replacement of affected parts. The issue drew renewed focus after India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau noted in its preliminary report that the aircraft’s fuel control switches unexpectedly moved to “CUTOFF” after liftoff, shutting down both engines.
The FAA later said the switch design posed no safety risk, and Boeing issued similar guidance. Air India replaced the Throttle Control Module in 2019 and 2023 but did not inspect the switch locking mechanism, saying the 2018 FAA advisory was not mandatory. CEO Campbell Wilson said no cause had been identified yet.
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Singh did not possess a birth certificate, but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.
FAUJA SINGH, the Indian-born British national widely regarded as the world’s oldest distance runner, died in a road accident at the age of 114, his biographer said on Tuesday.
Singh, popularly known as the "Turbaned Tornado", was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road in his native village of Bias in Punjab’s Jalandhar district on Monday.
His biographer, Khushwant Singh, confirmed the news on social media. “My Turbaned Tornado is no more,” he posted on X. “He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.”
My Turbaned Tornado is no more. It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my most revered S. Fauja Singh. He was struck by an unidentified vehicle around 3:30 PM today in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja . pic.twitter.com/LMFh7TNE8B — Khushwant Singh (@Singhkhushwant) July 14, 2025
Singh did not possess a birth certificate, but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911. He began long-distance running at the age of 89 and went on to complete full marathons (42 kilometre) until the age of 100. His last competitive event was a 10-kilometre run during the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon, when he was 101. He completed the race in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
Singh gained global attention after taking up distance running later in life, following the deaths of his wife and one of his sons. He was inspired to run marathons after watching them on television. Though widely celebrated as the oldest marathon runner, he was not officially recognised by Guinness World Records due to the absence of verifiable proof of his age. According to him, birth certificates were not issued in his region when he was born under British colonial rule.
He was chosen as a torchbearer at both the Athens 2004 and London 2012 Olympic Games and featured in several advertising campaigns alongside sports figures such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
Singh attributed his physical endurance to his daily routine of walking on farmland and a diet that included home-churned curd and the Indian sweet “laddu” made with dry fruits.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Singh on X. “Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness,” Modi wrote.
Fauja Singh Ji was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness. He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 15, 2025
“He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
A PRELIMINARY report into last month's Air India plane crash that killed 260 people has raised further questions, and the investigation is still ongoing, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a memo to staff on Monday.
The initial report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday, pointed to confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed.
In a staff memo reviewed by Reuters, Wilson wrote: “The report had triggered a new round of speculation in the media ... Unsurprisingly, it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions.”
He added: “The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over.”
No mechanical faults found
The memo noted that the report found no mechanical or maintenance faults, and confirmed all required maintenance had been completed.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flying from Ahmedabad to London when it began losing thrust shortly after takeoff. Of the 242 people on board, all but one died. Nineteen people on the ground were also killed.
According to the AAIB report, one pilot asked the other in the final moments of the flight why he had cut off the fuel.
“The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said. It noted that the fuel cutoff switches for engine two flipped almost simultaneously, but did not specify how.
The report did not suggest any immediate action for Boeing or GE, which supplied the aircraft’s engines.
Pilot body rejects early conclusions
ALPA India, which represents Indian pilots at the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, rejected any presumption of pilot error and called for a “fair, fact-based inquiry”.
Campbell Wilson added in his memo: “The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status.”
The flight’s commanding pilot was 56-year-old Sumeet Sabharwal, who had logged 15,638 total flying hours and was also an Air India instructor, according to the Indian government. His co-pilot, Clive Kunder, 32, had 3,403 hours of experience.
Air India faces broader scrutiny
Following the crash, Air India has come under increased scrutiny on multiple fronts.
On July 4, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it would investigate Air India Express, the airline’s budget unit, after a Reuters report revealed it had failed to promptly replace engine parts on an Airbus A320 as mandated and falsified records to indicate compliance.