John Swinney will today (Wednesday) lay down a “cast iron guarantee” that SNP MPs will protect Scotland’s values in the face of further spending cuts at Westminster.
Following a stark warning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) that Labour and Tory manifesto pledges would mean at least £18billion of Westminster cuts to public services – the SNP Leader has pledged that his MPs will fight to protect household budgets in Scotland.
People in Scotland currently benefit from policies not available in England, Wales or Northern Ireland – which help support Scots struggling after fourteen years of austerity cuts – such as:
- free tuition fees
- free prescriptions
- free personal care
- the Scottish Child Payment
- mitigation of the Bedroom Tax
However, Swinney has warned incoming Westminster cuts threaten to further damage household budgets and curb the positive impact of SNP Government policies in Scotland.
Commenting, SNP Leader John Swinney said:
“At this election only a vote for the SNP is a vote to protect Scotland’s values.
“Westminster has inflicted over fourteen years of cuts to public services, a Brexit that Scotland overwhelmingly didn’t vote for, and a cost of living crisis of the Tory party’s own making.
“There isn’t a household in Scotland that hasn’t felt the sharp end of these decisions.
“But while Westminster chaos has caused misery for Scots, the SNP has used its limited powers at Holyrood to build a better nation.
“We’ve scrapped tuition fees and prescription charges, supported people in the face of rising bills and household costs, and introduced the Scottish Child Payment designed to support low income families – one of several policies expected to keep 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty this year.
“These game-changing policies show that decisions designed to benefit the people of Scotland, are best made in Scotland.
“While Labour and the Tories take their orders from bosses in London, the SNP will always lead for Scotland, not be led by Westminster.
“Today I am reiterating that commitment to the people of Scotland – our cast iron guarantee that SNP MPs will always fight to protect Scotland’s values in the face of further cuts at Westminster.
“In a Westminster Parliament that will always put Scotland last, vote SNP this election to put Scotland’s values first.”
