Linlithgow Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, has demanded that Labour use next month’s Budget to U-turn on its austerity agenda and finally come good on its election promises of ‘change’ and ‘read my lips, no austerity under Labour’.
Austerity is a political choice, and it is the wrong choice – Labour should finally listen to the experts and change course. Despite promising ‘change’ during the general election, the new Labour UK Government have announced not the end of Tory austerity – but an intensification of Tory austerity. Families in Scotland are estimated to have lost £341 million due the two-child limit since its inception in 2017 – a policy Labour refuses to abandon. And cutting the Winter Fuel Payment for 860,000 Scottish pensioners is the very definition of austerity.
The SNP repeatedly warned about the scale of cuts likely to come should Labour be elected. Throughout the election campaign these claims were dismissed by senior Labour figures including Anas Sarwar who infamously said, “read my lips, no austerity under Labour”.
Since coming to power less than three months ago, these warnings have come to pass with Labour already going back on their promises by doubling-down on the Tory austerity agenda.
Despite further claims from Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Sarwar in recent days that there “will be no return to austerity under Labour”, Starmer has already paved the way for further cuts to come in Labour’s first Budget – saying “things will get worse”.
SNP MSP Fiona Hyslop said:
“Labour promised change but so far all they have delivered for West Lothian is more of the same old austerity and broken promises we had under 14 years of Tory rule.
“Meanwhile Anas Sarwar has sat by in silence, happy to do what he is told by his bosses in London rather than stand up for the people of Scotland as he promised he would.
“It is not too late to act – they must change course starting in next month’s Budget by reinstating the universal Winter Fuel Payment, provide the funding they promised to tackle child poverty, scrap the abhorrent two-child cap and cancel plans to make further cuts to public services.
“With Labour MPs happy to vote through policies they previously spoke out against whilst in opposition, I will continue to stand up against further austerity being imposed on West Lothian from Westminster.”
ENDS