PoliticsUK

I think there’s no clearer metric for which party will be best for Scotland than the approach in this campaign. While the Tories and the SNP will largely focus on Independence versus unionism, the Scottish Labour Party will spend the rest of this campaign talking about how we plan on fighting poverty in Scotland. From childhood poverty to food poverty to fuel poverty to every other form of poverty. Every Scot in poverty is a failure of both the government in Westminster, and the government in Holyrood. The Labour Party in both Westminster and Scotland created one of the largest reductions in poverty, absolute poverty in Scotland going from 39% when Labour was first elected in 1997 to 18% in 2007. Among Pensioners the number is far more extreme; we went from 54% in 1997 to 15% in 2007. We can do it again in Scotland but we need a government that fights for social justice and for the best future for Scotland. Giving both votes for Scottish Labour will give you a government that will Make Scotland Count.

Poverty in Scotland has increased over the last few years. We are up to nearly 1 in 5 people living in poverty. While we have had some lofty pledges by the SNP government about how they planned on tackling poverty. They clearly haven’t been very successful. Scottish Labour will work to end poverty and bring social justice to Scotland. We will expand social security in Scotland and stop the SNP and Tory cuts that seek to further entrance poverty into our society. We will use all the tools that we can to reduce and eventually end poverty. We are going to fight to increase wages, we are going to create a more fair tax system, raise the budget of the NHS, increase food security, and work with local governments to make sure that every community in Scotland is getting the support it needs. Unlike the Tories and the SNP; the Scottish Labour party is serious about reducing poverty in all forms that it exists.

For three years the Scottish National Party Government has had little results in tackling fuel poverty. According to a study by the Scottish Government fuel poverty has stayed relatively the same rate since 2016. A key pledge of the SNP government was to tackle fuel poverty. This is ultimately a failure of the Scottish National Party’s pure focus on independence. They neglect to take care of those of us the most in need. A Scottish Labour Government will get serious about tackling fuel poverty, in which we will actually pass a Warm Homes act dedicated to implementing a program to address fuel poverty, and eradicating it by 2035. The act will cap energy costs to help reduce the price on the average consumer so that way everyone can afford the fuel they need. As well as renovating thousands of homes a year to help reduce the demand of fuel by the average family. This act will help Scotland have warm homes for all. No one should have to have a cold home in Scottish winter.

24% of children in Scotland live in poverty. In 2016 it was a key pledge of the SNP to tackle child poverty. Anyone want to guess what child poverty was in 2016? 21% of children lived in poverty. I’m sorry but there are two clear places to place the blame for an increasing poverty rate in Scotland. The SNP in Holyrood and the Tories in Westminster. Only the Scottish Labour party is prepared to get serious about tackling child poverty. We will double the maternity grant for new mums and lift children out of poverty. We will increase funding into the Tackling Child Poverty Fund in our fight against child poverty. We need a government ready to tackle child poverty in the short term, and long term. We have to do more now to provide relief and address the causes of poverty by increasing wages and lowering unemployment. No child should have to live in poverty.

I strongly believe for us to have a stronger Scotland we need a government that is serious about tackling poverty and the injustices that exist in Scotland. We need a government that will make Scotland count. One that focuses on the real issues affecting Scottish families and not pushing a constitutional fight that results in the lives of the Scottish people getting worse. The Scottish Labour Party is committed to reducing poverty in Scotland over the next five years. The last ten years of a SNP government has resulted in higher poverty rates. Let’s not forget that at the time of the establishment of the Scottish Parliament the Labour party in Westminster and the Scottish Labour Party in Holyrood reduced absolute poverty from nearly 39% of Scots to 18%. It’s time we had a Government truly committed to reducing poverty in Scotland again. On election day Vote twice for Scottish Labour and make Scotland Count.