Just like Andy, Anas U-turns all the way to the top to fulfil his dad’s dreams

By a friend of Talking-up Scotland

Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar MP was almost the first Lord Sarwar, having been proposed by PM Gordon Brown for a life peerage in May 2010. Significant objections, notably including HMRC, led to Brown’s nomination being blocked (ref 1). Other controversies included allegations of vote-rigging (not substantiated in Court) and running up almost £200,000 in MP expenses in 2008-2009. He also had the third highest MP expenses in 2003-2004 (a mere £157,262). These figures included interest payments on his mortgage for his £600,000 South London apartment from a UK branch of the Swiss-based Habib Bank AG Zurich (ref 2). Then Chaudhry showed his love of the UK (just can’t bring myself to say ‘Scotland’) by renouncing his British citizenship to twice become Governor of the Punjab, subsequently popping back to Glasgow to demand that every country in the world must institute an anti-blasphemy law to protect Islam (ref 3). Has everyone forgotten?

We now have a second proposed Lord Sarwar, Chaudhry’s youngest son Anas. According to Wikipedia PM Andy Burnham said with regard to the Iraq war “If I had my time again, I wouldn’t have voted for it” but the correct quote may have been “Had I known that then, I would have voted against military action.” (ref 4). Has everyone forgotten at least seven years of Burnham voting for conflict from the non-existent WMD to the Chilcot inquiry (when he finally voted in favour in line with Labour policy) (refs 5 & 6). Not to mention his many other U-turns (ref 7). Burnham’s decision to bring Sarwar into the Westminster government via a peerage (ref 8) perhaps stems from a sense of friendly rivalry over U-turns and may ultimately alter Margaret Thatcher’s famous aphorism to “You turn if you want to. But I U-turned first!” Has Burnham  forgotten all seven years of his votes with regard to Iraq?   

Back to Lord Presumptive Sarwar the second. Not to be outdone by dad’s speech in George Square (ref 3), Anas told us that “the change is coming” (ref 9) and there were allegations of racism from Sarwar supporters when the speech was criticised or quoted.  Please watch the full speech while it remains online and judge for yourself. If one is talking true “Phobia” i.e. fear as opposed to “Prejudice” this full speech engenders the former IMHO. I hope not to be accused of racism in saying this, it can be a devastating accusation (ref 10). What if David McLachlan had made “the change is coming” speech (ref 9) from a different population subgroup viewpoint?  Or Lord Offord? Or Thomas Kerr?

Can Lord Presumptive Sarwar the second match ally Andy for U-turns? Let’s see:

a) First and most obviously the House of Lords U-Turn (refs 11, 12)

b) Dropped the bombshell of nuclear weapons U-turn (ref 13)

c) And nuclear energy U-turn (ref 14)

d) Gender recognition reform U-turn (refs 15, 16)

e) In effect U-turned on two-child benefit cap so as not to “spook the markets” (ref 17), a typical two faced approach

f) Proportional representation U-turn (ref 18)

g) For a dentist who boasts of his NHS service, an especially horrific U-turn towards two-tier dentistry (refs 19, 20)

h) Not so much a U-turn as ignoring an old-turn: His Lordship Presumptive accosts the Scottish Government regarding the QEUH infection scandal but it was Scottish Labour health ministers (Deacon, Chisholm and Kerr) as part of the Lib-Lab pact who approved the GGHB process (including the Board ignoring its own consultation in 2000) to site the new hospital campus in the middle of two huge sewage plants plus (more recently) the Shieldhall sewage tunnel effluence. Malcolm Chisholm signed off in 2002 and a certain Chaudhry Sarwar was the local MP. I wonder what the housebuilding deals were at the alternative Cowglen Hospital site? (refs 21, 22)

i) Not so much a U-turn as blatant hypocrisy. It must be stressed that His Imminent Lordshipness gains no benefit whatsoever from holdings in the family company United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited managed principally by older brother Asim, just his wife, mother and three children benefit. In times past, it appears that many of the workers for United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited earned no benefit whatsoever as well, at least not by minimum wage standards (refs 23, 24). Thankfully after many many years of no trade union even remotely taking an interest in being recognised by United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited (ref 25), USDAW appears to have been acknowledged around 2024, quickly negotiating above living wage salaries to the satisfaction of all parties (ref 26). All parties that is except His Lordship-in-Waiting, who appears to have been in a confused state at that time (ref 27). I confess to confusion myself because it transpires that His Presumptiveness is himself a member of USDAW. At this point I must offer profuse apologies because, not realising that USDAW had at last shown United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited that trade unions exist, I had mistakenly assumed that USDAW was an acronym for United wholesale Scotland Derides All Workers.

j) Labour’s 2024 General Election manifesto promised decisive action on tax havens but in yet another U-turn Anas Sarwar accepted half (£40,000) of his funding for the leadership battle with Richard Leonard from the Scottish subsidiary of a company based in the British Virgin Islands (ref  28). The remaining £40,000 was provided by Kasim Gulzar, a business associate of his brother Asim Sarwar (see below).

The list of U-turns is exhausting and His Lordship Presumptive clearly wins. But Burnham is PM  so let’s call it a draw. Perhaps Andy and Anas could form the portmanteau ‘Andas(s)’ or better still ‘BurSar’. But just think if Sarwar had supported Starmer…the portmanteau would be ‘StarWar’ and surely this power duo could have mandated that the Scottish election be brought forward three days to May 4th. Who votes for manifestos anyway, they’re all lies, but StarWar on May 4th would certainly have light-SLaboured the election. What an opportunity missed by His So-Nearly-Jedi-Ness!

Please provide any further U-turn examples in the ‘Comment’ section.

One year older brother Asim Sarwar, a pharmacist by degree, is the sole ‘person with significant control’ of United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited and must therefore at least share the criticism at i) above, namely poor remuneration of workers prior to USDAW involvement. He is also a director of Unitas Wholesale Limited which describes itself as the largest wholesale buying group in the UK (ref 29) and sole director of Deliveries Sorted Limited, a subsidiary of United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited that appears to be responsible for one-off ‘software’ costs of £400,000. He also appears to have some involvement with Mr Kasim Gulzar (who provided £40,000 to Anas Sarwar’s leadership bid against Richard Leonard (ref 28)) of recently formed company H Healthcare Group Limited which owns the small Honey Pharmacy chain now rebranded as Rightdose Pharmacy. Retail pharmacy across the UK, including Scotland, is in an extraordinary state of acquisition and merger (e.g. refs 30 and 31), probably due to private equity leveraging of NHS prescribing finance. Asim Sarwar also collaborated with his older brother Athif in launching the Day-Today convenience store chain under the United Wholesale Scotland umbrella (ref 32).

Athif Sarwar is the oldest brother, often dogged by controversy in the past. According to a cursory inspection of Companies House his current active directorships are Hero Brands Limited and Virtual Hero Limited, basically fast food companies which in 2025 shared assets with GDK International, in which Sarwar, who had also been a director up to the point of sale, sold a significant stake. The deal was financed by True equity company and is said to have been in the region of £50million. Shamefully, while Sarwar was still a director, GDK International was found to be advertising jobs paying less than the minimum wage in 2025 à la United Wholesale Scotland before USDAW (refs 33, 34, 35, 36).

As a 22 year old student Athif Sarwar was apparently banned for life by both student unions at Glasgow University (ref 37). That takes some doing, but what was the offence? Hard to find, can anyone help?  Then there was the £845,000 money-laundering case (ref 38). Cue an extra vowel and a much exaggerated pronunciation of Athif’s name! Then the overturning of the three year sentence after serving only three weeks (ref 39). And now the £50 million pound kebab deal (ref 40).

There is a curious overlap between the Sarwar and Easdale families. Sandy Easdale was convicted in 1997 of a £1.5million VAT fraud but after early release (unlike Sarwar the conviction was not overturned) went on to build a successful business empire with his brother James (refs 41, 42, 43). Both the Sarwar family and the Easdales have made ‘six figure sum’ contributions to Scottish Labour and in support of Anas Sarwar (refs 44, 45).

Returning to Lord Presumptive Sarwar the second, Minister of State in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (ref 46), will we go full circle as he eventually embraces Pakistani citizenship and disdainfully renounces his British citizenship, just as his father did?

  1. https://archive.is/TGUJ9
  2. https://archive.fo/20130902012425/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5413395/MPs-expenses-Mohammed-Sarwar-claimed-interest-on-mortgage-paid-from-Swiss-bank-account.html
  3. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-6RRlpO99OA
  4. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/five-things-learned-andy-burnham-28776663
  5. https://votes.theyworkforyou.com/person/10766/policies/commons/labour/all_time/1049
  6. https://votes.theyworkforyou.com/person/10766/policies/commons/labour/all_time/975
  7. https://spectator.com/article/andy-burnhams-manifesto-a-full-list/
  8. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/22/scottish-labours-rivals-decry-chancer-anas-sarwar-for-resigning-to-join-andy-burnhams-government
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1_dWayOohbk&dp_isNewTab=1&dp_referrer=other&dp_allowFirstVideo=1
  10. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48105247
  11. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26078895.anas-sarwar-rules-house-lords-spot-election-lost/
  12. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/04/labour-would-scrap-house-of-lords-says-scottish-party-leader-anas-sarwar
  13. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25005720.anas-sarwar-seems-u-turn-scottish-labour-nuclear-weapons-policy/
  14. https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24931561.anas-sarwars-insistences-nuclear-energy-serves-wrong-people/
  15. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/anas-sarwar-denies-gender-u-turn-motivated-by-shifting-public-opinion-4999102
  16. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25104603.majority-scottish-labour-msps-silent-supreme-court-ruling/
  17. https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,scottish-labour-remain-opposed-to-the-twochild-benefit-cap
  18. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/07/07/scottish-labour-rejects-electoral-reform-distorted-win-ever/
  19. https://www.ireland-live.ie/national/sarwar-hits-out-at-snps-rotten-record-on-support-for-dentistry-7117292
  20. https://www.thenational.scot/news/26080498.private-capacity-scottish-nhs-end-two-tier-system-sarwar-claims/
  21. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0yndw4nwzo
  22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/2188390.stm 
  23. https://www.thenational.scot/news/15546891.anas-sarwar-claims-family-business-doesnt-pay-living-wage-because-it-doesnt-have-to/
  24. https://www.thenational.scot/news/23848488.anas-sarwars-family-business-still-not-pay-living-wage/
  25. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15539296.Anas_Sarwar_confirms_no_union_recognition_at_family_firm/
  26. https://www.asiantrader.biz/trade-union-confirms-united-wholesale-scotland-pays-income-higher-than-real-living-wage-after-anas-sarwars-claim
  27. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm55755m7v7o
  28. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15698304.sarwar-40-000-leadership-donation-linked-tax-haven/
  29. https://unitaswholesale.co.uk/about-us/
  30. https://www.aurelius-group.com/in-its-biggest-deal-in-history-aurelius-acquires-mckesson-uk
  31. https://scottishbusinessnews.net/administrators-appointed-to-holding-company-for-scottish-pharmacy-chain/
  32. https://www.insider.co.uk/special-reports/big-profile-asim-athif-sarwar-9878260
  33. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25153860.scottish-labour-leaders-brother-to-make-millions-kebab-chain/
  34. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25028925.huge-kebab-chain-linked-anas-sarwar-minimum-wage-ad-row
  35. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/03/23/ripping-off-the-poor-is-a-sarwar-family-tradition-in-scotland-too/
  36. https://www.true.global/stories/we-partner-with-german-doner-kebab-gdk-and-hero-brands-to-support-continued-uk-and-international-growth/
  37. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SARWAR+SON%27S+SHAME%3B+Athif%2C+22%2C+banned+for+life+by+students.-a061263785 
  38. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/MILLIONAIRE+MP%27S+SON+IN+pounds+850k+SCAM%3B+Cash-and-carry+boss+guilty…-a0163918875
  39. https://www.scotsman.com/news/sarwars-son-in-court-to-appeal-laundering-rap-1693513
  40. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sarwar%27s+kebab+boss+brother+sells+a+slice+of+wage-row+firm….-a0839142231
  41. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13104300.New_fears_over_past_of_brothers_trying_to_join_Rangers_board/
  42. https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/the-easdale-brothers-want-everyone-to-know-they-are-billionares/
  43. https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/easdales-mcgills-herald-buses-fire-franchising/
  44. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25892068.anas-sarwars-political-career-bankrolled-family-fortune-snp-say/
  45. https://www.bowmanrebecchi.com/news/billionaire-brothers-back-labour-to-oust-frivolous-snp
  46. https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2026/07/22/sarwar-appointed-as-a-junior-minister-in-the-burnham-cabinet/?cn-reloaded=1

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3 thoughts on “Just like Andy, Anas U-turns all the way to the top to fulfil his dad’s dreams”

  1. Talking of Anas and his U turns, as in his seemingly conflicting opinions , opinions that are dependent on who they can most damage and who they can most protect.

    In June of this year the BBC reported this on their website:

    “Holyrood restricts media access to politicians after FMQs”

    “A row has broken out at Holyrood after it was announced journalists will have restricted access to politicians after First Minister’s Questions“.

    “Scottish parliament officials set out a designated area for journalists on Thursday ahead of the opposition party leaders’ questions to John Swinney”.

    This BBC article also had a quote from Anas Sarwar that stated this:

    “Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “The freedom of the press, for you guys to come and ask us difficult questions, it makes it uncomfortable for us sometimes, but that is a fundamental part of our democracy.”

    Really ?

    So why then when Andy Burnham was in Scotland yesterday was this reported by the Editor of The National newspaper:

    “Andy Burnham is in Scotland today for the first time since becoming PM . Just like we have seen with the UK Gov time and time again, Scottish media has been blocked from access. No change there”

    “He’s refusing to speak to speak to any Scottish print media claiming to be too short on time “.

    “Meanwhile the new Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is also in Scotland. Also refusing to speak to the media about Scottish priorities.”

    Today neither the BBC website nor yesterday’s snubbed (so called) ‘Scottish’ print media (other than The National) have chosen to headline on their front pages that both the new PM and also his new Energy Secretary, Miatta Fanhnbulleh, had both refused to speak to the (so called) ‘Scottish’ media while in Scotland.

    The media, including the BBC were instead more focused on communicating that Swinney was ‘telt’ there was to be no second Referendum by Burnham, or as The (so called) ‘Scottish’ Daily Express wrote on their front page:

    “Swinney’s gloom deepens as PM calls the shots”. (in respect to a second independence referendum being “Off limits”).

    Then also on the front page of The P & J was this headline:

    “Fahnbulleh trip to city lifts hopes of positive talks” (just not “talks” with The P & J nor with any other media within Scotland it seems, that is while on her first visit to Scotland in her new job as the Energy secretary).

    No doubt Anas Sarwar will choose not to repeat what he said before in June of this year , in relation to the story on ” Holyrood restricts media access to politicians after FMQs”.

    As if Sarwar was now asked his opinion on Burnham and Fahnbulleh “blocking access to the media in Scotland” on their first visit here since becoming PM and Energy Secretary , Sarwar would , I am sure, now offer (yet another) conflicting opinion.

    That is he would not seem so (supposedly) willing to reiterate that in his (supposed former) opinion , being “asked difficult Q’s” by the “press” was “a fundamental part of our democracy.”.

    However it seems to be that in Sarwar’s UK it is only (pro) UK politicians, including UK PM’s and UK government Ministers, who were those who were to be seemingly exempt from having to experience “difficult Q’s” by the “press” while in Scotland.

    Different rules for Labour (and other pro UK parties) compared to what the SNP are expected to tolerate and endure from all media in the UK State.

    Liz S

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  2. Exhausting just reading this excellent account of the unelected representative of the people of Govan. How proud they must feel to see Sarwar float up to the Lords where he can rule over them benevolently. How lucky they are that their representative has not abandoned them and flown off to live in his father’s Punjabi palace.

    Who needs democracy when you have such nobility to rule over you.

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