Only SNP MPs stand up for Glasgow

With Glasgow Labour MPs voting against the SNP's proposals to reduce the fuel price with a fuel duty regulator and voting to increase Vehicle Excise Duty Glasgow SNP MSP Bill Kidd published a table of recent high profile votes showing how Glasgow Labour MPs had failed to stand up for their constituent's interests by voting for measures that made life more difficult for them.

Mr Kidd condemned Glasgow's Labour MPs for failing to support their constituents again and again and said it was indicative of how Labour had neglected Glasgow and taken its voters for granted.

Commenting Mr Kidd said:

"This week Labour MPs from Glasgow showed how they take their voters for granted by voting to keep sky high fuel taxes up.

"Over half the people in the East End of Glasgow travelling to work use their car and have been let down by Labour as the cost of motoring is already proportionately high for them.

"The only MPs from Scotland who were on their side were MPs from the SNP. Glasgow's Labour MPs voted against the means to provide those motorists with some relief from sky high fuel taxes.

"However that is not the only example of Labour MPs voting to back Gordon Brown but not Glasgow.

"Glasgow Labour MPs voted to abolish the 10p tax rate and voted to still keep 1.1 million low paid workers worse off. They backed the Labour Government's Post Office closure programme which has seen 24 local post offices close in the Greater Glasgow area; and they voted to take £184 million in lottery money for good causes in some of Scotland's poorest communities to subsidise the spiralling cost of the London Olympics.

"Those examples show that again and again Labour MPs take their constituents for granted and neglect their interests.

"In contrast SNP MPs voted to stop the abolition of the 10p tax rate, for a suspension of the Post Office closure programme and to protect lottery money for Scotland's poorest communities. SNP MPs have already shown a commitment to Glasgow whilst its own Labour MPs have not.

"The SNP Government has also helped mitigate the effects of soaring prices and energy costs by putting more money back in people's pockets by freezing Council Tax and reducing prescription charges.

"The coming by-election in Glasgow East is a chance for the people of the East End of Glasgow to send a message to the Labour party that they are no longer being taken for granted; that they want MPs on their side – on Glasgow's side – not protecting Gordon Brown.

"Only an SNP vote in Glasgow East can send that message and only the SNP has introduced the policies to help the people of Glasgow."