Does Scottish Labour really want an election?

Given the SNP’s abject disarray, it is no surprise to see Scottish Labour demanding a snap Holyrood election. After all, for the first time in more than a decade it is Anas Sarwar’s party – and not the Scottish Nationalists – who are most likely to gain by the ballot box. Sarwar himself summed up the bullish mood in the party succinctly, telling reporters: ‘I do not fear an election, I relish an election.’

And this is not idle talk; Scottish Labour has lodged a motion of no confidence in the Scottish government that would, in the unlikely event it is approved by MSPs on Wednesday, force the entire SNP administration to resign and in all likelihood precipitate a Scottish election. Even if the Scottish Labour motion fails, it is possible that a devolved election is still in the offing, either by design – such as a new SNP leader seeking a mandate – or by process, such as the Scottish Green Party refusing to endorse a new SNP leader as First Minister, thereby depriving them of the necessary majority.