Voters ‘want a word’ with PM about Labour broken promises
by Keir Starmer has been challenged to visit the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse so he can personally hear what voters are saying about his policies.
The SNP’s Westminster Leader, Stephen Flynn, has written to the Prime Minister inviting him to campaign in the by-election after Scottish Labour Leader, Anas Sarwar, said that he didn’t ‘expect Keir to be campaigning in the by-election’.
Other Labour sources have also been briefing against their own Prime Minister saying that Keir Starmer was ‘not playing well on the doorsteps and is not considered an asset at this point in the electoral cycle.’
In his invitation, Mr Flynn said that a Starmer visit to the by-election would provide the Scottish people with the ‘perfect opportunity to express to you – face to face – how deeply disappointed they are in the UK Labour government.’
Since coming to government, Keir Starmer has spearheaded cuts that will impact on the lives of pensioners and disabled people, as well as refusing to scrap the two-child cap to alleviate child poverty.
In tandem his government has also been announcing investment and industrial support south of the border – most notably the nationalisation if British Steel in Scunthorpe – whilst treating Scotland as an afterthought and failing to nationalise Grangemouth.
You can read the full text of Mr Flynn’s letter to Keir Starmer below:
Dear Prime Minister,
As you may be aware, there is currently a by-election campaign underway for the Scottish Parliamentary seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse following the sad death of our much-loved colleague Christina McKelvie.
It is normal that, as part of these democratic campaigns, voters rightly expect to hear from and have contact with party leaders and in that spirit my own party leader, the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney, has been on the campaign trail several times already.
It therefore came as significant news that the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, on Tuesday announced that you – as his party leader – would not be coming to campaign in this by-election. I am sorry to break the news that in announcing this, he didn’t exactly sound enthusiastic about the prospect of you joining him on the campaign trail in the first place. It is remarkable and very telling that less than a year since your success in the general election after promising ‘change’, your Labour colleagues now shudder at the thought of welcoming their own Prime Minister to campaign on the streets of Scotland.
However, in the awkward absence of a welcoming invitation from Scottish Labour and Anas Sarwar, I’d like to step in on behalf of the SNP and do the decent thing by personally inviting you to come to Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse before the election on the 5th of June.
Aside from the natural and healthy democratic contest between parties competing for this seat, there is another crucial reason as to why you should come. A visit would provide the people of Scotland with the perfect opportunity to express to you – face to face – how deeply disappointed they are in the UK Labour government.
We all know the inheritance left by the Tories was tough, but no one expected a Labour government to balance the books on the backs of older people, taking away the winter fuel payment, and slashing support for people with disabilities. The Labour Party said they would reduce bills by £300, but you’ve chosen not to and instead those bills have shot up by nearly £300. And, once again, when it comes to investment in industry, Scotland seems to be little more than an afterthought to a Labour government pouring billions into London and the South-East of England while projects in Scotland are cancelled or rejected.
For these reasons and many, many more – voters in Scotland want a word with you and your party.
Don’t let Scottish Labour or Anas Sarwar keep you away, it’s important that you visit and explain your broken promises to the people of Scotland.
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Flynn MP
SNP Westminster Leader