From PFI debt to Brexit: the price of Labour policies

by the SNP
Posted on
4 months ago
3 min read

Across Scotland, councils are still paying the cost of a Labour government – 15 years after they were last in office.

From toxic PFI deals to supporting a damaging Brexit, Scottish Labour offers no solutions beyond their spin and soundbites.

Here’s what you need to know.

Scottish Labour’s PFI disaster is still costing Scotland £30 billion

Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) – where public sector bodies pay private corporations to build and manage new facilities – are a shocking indictment of the terrible decisions made by the last Labour government.

Only last year, councils across Scotland spent £461 million on the upkeep of PFI contracts – almost 10% of the entire council education budgets.

Labour’s legacy of financial mismanagement means that councils have to keep paying these charges for years to come – money that could be spent on strengthening our public services instead.

Labour is now fully signed up to a damaging, costly Brexit

Labour has teamed up with the Tories to continue imposing Brexit in Scotland, and Keir Starmer confirmed that a future UK Labour government would not seek to rejoin the EU.

The OBR has estimated that an average UK household pays £3,600 for the economic damage of Brexit over 15 years – with the impact of Brexit being double that of the pandemic.

While families are already struggling with rising energy bills, rising food prices and Tory welfare cuts, Brexit – now fully supported by Labour – only makes the cost of living crisis worse.

Scotland strongly opposes Brexit – but Labour backs it anyway

As Westminster voted to drag Scotland out of the EU, Scottish Labour’s only MP – Ian Murray – sided with the Tories to impose a damaging Brexit on his Edinburgh constituents.

That’s despite Edinburgh being the most pro-EU city in the UK, with 74.4% voting Remain.

Polls consistently show the overwhelming majority of Scots (75%) think Brexit has gone badly, but in a shoddy attempt to win back votes in England, Keir Starmer has completely abandoned Scotland.

The SNP, not Labour, is the party that delivers progress

Rather than just talking about it, the SNP is delivering progress through ambitious policies in government – and we place no limit on our ambitions for Scotland.

Here are just some things we’ve already delivered:

  • Free prescriptions
  • Free personal care
  • Free tuition
  • The Baby Box
  • Free bus travel for under-22s
  • Expanded free childcare
  • Free NHS dental care for under-26s
  • The “game-changing” Scottish Child Payment

Despite being in government in Wales, Labour has not taken all the steps it could to mitigate the worst impacts of Tory policies, such as the bedroom tax – which is fully mitigated in Scotland.

Our 2022 manifesto is full of ambitious policies for a fairer, better future. Click here to find out more.

On May 5, vote SNP for real action on the cost of living crisis

On May 5, a vote for the SNP is a vote to elect hard-working local councillors who will prioritise tackling the Tory cost of living crisis.

Every vote will count – here’s 5 ways you can help us win these crucial elections.