Labour will put Scotland at the “global forefront” of medical research and life sciences Anas Sarwar has pledged.

The Scottish Labour leader is campaigning in Glasgow today and said his party would back the industries needed to combat diseases like cancer.

He said despite Glasgow and Scotland being home to a life sciences sector worth £10bn, opportunities have note be maximised.

Labour said life sciences is a “key plank” of its Industrial Strategy and Scottish Labour's Blueprint for Economic Growth.

Sarwar said: “Life sciences is a Scottish success story – creating jobs and attracting investment while making a crucial contribution to the fight against diseases like Scotland's biggest killer, cancer.

"But this fantastic sector is being held back by two bad governments putting needless obstacles in its way. 

“Tory chaos and SNP incompetence have undermined Scotland’s world-class research sector, but Labour will back these key industries and unlock the benefits for our economy and our healthcare system.

“A Labour government will ensure Scotland is at the global forefront of life sciences and on the cutting edge of medical research, making these industries an unstoppable force in our economy.”

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Sarwar is visiting a health research hub with Glasgow North Labour candidate Martin Rhodes.

The party said Scotland punches above its weight with the number of world-leading universities that attract spin-out investment and said Labour would “turbocharge” this with plans to ensure spin-outs thrive in the long-term and continue to create wealth within Scottish communities.