The SNP has said that independence is the only way to escape damaging Westminster control and harmful Tory policies, after the Chancellor confirmed plans to inflict a new wave of Tory austerity.
Following the UK government’s U-turn on scrapping the 45p income tax rate, Kwasi Kwarteng also ruled out topping up budgets in line with inflation – threatening public services with cuts of up to £18bn a year and Scotland’s budget.
Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Chancellor Alison Thewliss MP said:
“Tory plans to inflict a new wave of devastating Tory austerity – which will consign millions of people to poverty and hardship – puts beyond doubt that independence is the only route to escape damaging Westminster control and get rid of the Tories for good.
“The threat of Tory austerity 2.0 will deliver a hammer blow to households struggling to make ends meet as the Tory-made cost of living crisis spirals out of control.
“Scotland’s budget is already worth around £1.7bn less than when it was set in December as a result of inflation.
“The reality is that this latest round of austerity will deliver yet more cuts and further threaten our vital NHS and public services.
“The Chancellor’s remarks that the Tory government intends to pile on further misery by walking their well-trodden road to austerity will further entrench the poverty the Tories have caused.
“The UK government must rule out a return to another decade of Tory austerity and instead come before Parliament urgently to set out real and targeted support to protect households and businesses.
“People in Scotland are getting a very clear message from the UK government – your homes, your pensions, your incomes are not safe under Westminster control.
“Independence is the only way to protect Scotland’s economy and build a fairer future.”
