Labour must commit to an emergency budget if it’s serious about delivering change

by the SNP
Posted on
2 months ago
2 min read

The First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney has challenged Labour to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to delivering change.

He urged the Labour Party to hold an emergency budget were it to win the general election.

Any emergency budget should reverse Tory austerity cuts, boost NHS funding, and invest in economic growth.

It should also provide signs that the Westminster government will not go on ignoring the specific needs of the Scottish economy. It is a diverse economy within the wider UK, with unique requirements.

Scotland is far more reliant on the benefits of immigration than the rest of the UK, and the oil and gas industry needs a particular focus and ought to be taken seriously by Westminster. In 2020, it contributed nearly £14 billion to the Scottish economy and supported over 100,000 jobs. Westminster’s reckless policies do nothing to support our valued energy sector in the North East.

Recent policies such as austerity, the madcap economics of the mini budget and the recklessly hard Tory Brexit have seriously hampered economic growth in Scotland. Most fiscal levers are reserved to Westminster, preventing the Scottish Parliament from taking the common sense measures needed to fix the crisis.

The IFS has warned that current Tory spending plans, backed by the Labour Party, would lead to £18billion of cuts to public services – meaning less money available for Scotland’s NHS. Separately, the IMF has warned UK public services could be facing cuts of £30billion.

It comes amid reports the Labour Party would delay a budget and continue to impose Tory spending cuts, which will harm Scotland’s public services.

The Tories have trashed the economy and decimated funding for public services – Labour ought to deliver the change the UK so desperately needs, not impose more of the same.

The SNP is calling for an immediate emergency budget following the election to deliver the real change that people in Scotland want to see – more funding for the NHS, the reversal of Tory austerity cuts, and meaningful investment in economic growth, including green energy.

The First Minister said “Keir Starmer must say whether he will back our calls. Any delay would see a Labour Party government continue to impose Tory cuts and that would mean Starmer is offering no change at all.”

Scotland needs a strong SNP voice at Westminster to stand up for Scotland’s priorities and hold a Starmer government to account if it continues to impose Tory austerity cuts, Brexit, creeping NHS privatisation and seeks to deny Scotland’s right to choose our own future.

On 4th July, vote SNP for a future made in Scotland, for Scotland.