Anas Sarwar is the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, elected in December 2011. He was born and brought up in the city of Glasgow. He studied dentistry at the University of Glasgow and worked as an NHS dentist prior to becoming a Member of Parliament. He was elected to represent Glasgow Central in 2010, increasing the previously held majority.
 
Anas has been a campaigning member of the Scottish Labour Party since the age of 16 and was part of the team which campaigned to successfully save the Govan shipyard in 1999, collecting more than 80,000 signatures. At the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections Anas was selected to stand as the number 1 candidate on the regional list for Glasgow.
 
A previous executive member of the Scottish Young Labour, Anas is a member of the Co-operative Party, the Fabian Society and trade unions Unite and Community. Anas’ politics are firmly rooted in equality, social justice and fairness.  His immediate priorities are to create jobs, to build a sustainable economy to fund world class public services, ensure society's resources are distributed equitably and to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.
 
Anas has a keen interest in Foreign Policy and International Development.  Shortly after becoming an MP, he was elected by his parliamentary colleagues to serve on the House of Commons International Development Committee. He is also Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and was recently a member of the Welfare Reform Bill Committee, which scrutinised the coalition Government’s controversial reforms. Anas is a keen supporter of the children’s charities, Action for Children, Youth Build UK and was a founding member of Y-Vote; an organisation which provides a political platform through music to get young people engaged in the political process. He lives in Glasgow with his wife, Furheen, and two young sons