Anas Sarwar has formally taken his seat in the House of Lords with a pledge to continue serving Scotland and challenge the politics of division.
The former Scottish Labour leader was introduced as Baron Sarwar of Maxwell Park in the City of Glasgow during a ceremony at Westminster on Thursday.
Wearing the traditional scarlet robes, the 43-year-old swore allegiance to the King before being welcomed to the upper chamber.
He was supported during the ceremony by two prominent Scottish Labour figures, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen.
Members of his family watched from the gallery, including his father, Mohammad Sarwar, who made history in 1997 when he became the UK’s first Muslim MP.
Making his maiden speech later in the day, Lord Sarwar thanked his family and the “great people of Glasgow” for helping him throughout his political career.
He said he wanted to play his part in the success of the new government and described the wider challenge facing politicians as a fight over the character and direction of the country.
Lord Sarwar asked whether the UK would continue to look after its neighbours or begin to treat them with suspicion, calling for a politics built around “unity and hope”.
His arrival in the Lords marks the beginning of a new chapter in a political career which has moved between Westminster and Holyrood.
The Glasgow-born former dentist represented Glasgow Central in the House of Commons between 2010 and 2015. He entered the Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP in 2016 and became Scottish Labour leader in February 2021.
He remained in the role for more than five years before stepping down in July to become the UK Government’s Minister of State for Trade.
Lord Sarwar acknowledged in his speech that Labour had not met the expectations of voters and said he remained “heart-sore” about the party’s result in the Scottish Parliament election in May.
However, he also pointed to his role in rebuilding Labour’s fortunes ahead of its success at the 2024 general election and said he was determined to help the current government deliver.
His peerage prompted criticism because of his previous support for replacing the House of Lords with an elected second chamber.
Addressing that directly, Lord Sarwar said his objections had been about “questioning the principle, not the purpose or the people”. He added that he continued to support a “more democratic and more representative upper chamber”.
His new ministerial brief gives him responsibility for areas including trade agreements, export promotion, the UK’s relationship with the European Union, the internal market and economic resilience.
The government formally appointed him to the trade role on 23 July, while Letters Patent dated 24 August created his life peerage under the title Baron Sarwar of Maxwell Park.