SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford has said “Boris Johnson is more hostile to Scotland than any Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher” – as he warned that millions are suffering as a result of cruel Tory policies and their disastrous handling of Brexit.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech to Conservative Party conference, on the day that Tory cuts to Universal Credit will slash the incomes of around six million families by £1040 a year, Mr Blackford said “Boris Johnson cannot escape the fact that his Tory government has plunged the UK into crisis and left millions of families poorer and worse off”
The SNP Westminster Leader said families need urgent support not more excuses from the Prime Minister – and warned independence is the only way to keep Scotland safe from Tory cuts and the long-term damage of Brexit.
The SNP has called for the Prime Minister to use his conference speech to commit to a multi-billion-pound Brexit Recovery Fund and an emergency package to reverse Tory cuts to household budgets.
Commenting, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP said:
“For all the bluster and empty rhetoric, Boris Johnson cannot escape the fact that his Tory government has plunged the UK into crisis and left millions of families poorer and worse off.
“The people of Scotland didn’t vote for this Tory government, and they certainly didn’t vote for Brexit – yet we are now suffering the consequences of both.
“People are struggling to heat their homes, to get fuel for their cars and are becoming alarmed by empty shelves in supermarkets as winter approaches.
“On Boris Johnson’s watch, the UK has the worst levels of poverty and inequality in north west Europe, the least generous social security system, and the highest levels of in-work poverty this century.
“Today, the Prime Minister needs to set out a comprehensive plan to fix the mess that he has done so much to create.
“He must announce a multi-billion-pound Brexit Recovery Fund, and an emergency package to reverse Tory cuts to household budgets – scrapping the Universal Credit cuts, ending the Tory public sector pay freeze, introducing an energy payment for low income families, and delivering a real Living Wage.
“Boris Johnson is more hostile to Scotland than any Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher – showing a contempt for Scottish democracy and complete indifference to the suffering that the Tories’ cruel policies are inflicting on ordinary Scots.
“The Tories have always hated devolution and now they are actively trying to override the spending powers of the Scottish Parliament and cut its powers.
“Scotland is one of the wealthiest, most resource-rich countries in the world.
“The only way to avoid more Tory cuts and the long-term damage of Brexit is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to regain our place in Europe and build a strong, fair and equal recovery.”
