Khan praises Sturgeon but accuses SNP of hoarding power

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan accused the SNP of having ‘hoarded power’ at Holyrood, but praised Nicola Sturgeon (Robert Perry/PA) PA Media

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan praised former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for being "on top of her brief" but accused the SNP of having "hoarded power" at Holyrood. The Labour politician described his dealings with Sturgeon during her eight years in office as "very cordial".

Khan made the comments while speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He criticised both the Scottish and Welsh governments, saying that "Cardiff and Edinburgh are as centralised as Whitehall".

The Mayor claimed the SNP's tenure in Scottish government since 2007 had left many Scots feeling "disillusioned with the Scottish Parliament". He said the party had been in power for a long time in Scotland.

SNP power criticism

Khan stated: "We've had the SNP in power for a long time in Scotland, and I think they have hoarded power." The comments reflect his view that the SNP has concentrated authority in Edinburgh.

He expressed optimism about next May's Holyrood elections, predicting that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would be "elected as the first minister". The Mayor said he was "looking forward" to this potential change.

Covid cooperation praised

Despite his political criticism, Khan spoke positively about working with Sturgeon during the coronavirus pandemic. He described their collaboration as "really good", adding that "she was a grown up".

Khan continued: "Nicola Sturgeon was on top of her brief, she knew her stuff, as did Mark Drakeford. She was always courteous to me, we would speak offline about some of the challenges with the government, whether it was Theresa May or Boris Johnson, and my dealings with her were very cordial."

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.