‘Out of touch’ Starmer failing to deliver change in Scotland, says Flynn

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said that Labour is failing to deliver the change it promised voters in Scotland at the UK general election.

Speaking before Labour’s party conference starts on Sunday, Mr Flynn said Sir Keir Starmer has shown he is “completely out of touch” with people north of the border by imposing further austerity.

He said the SNP is ready to work with Labour to “deliver the step change people in Scotland deserve”.

Sir Keir has faced criticism over his Government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments and this week was caught up in a row over clothing donations.

Mr Flynn said: “The Labour Party has only been in office for three months but it is already plummeting in the polls as a result of breaking so many promises to voters.

“Sir Keir Starmer has shown he is completely out of touch with people in Scotland by imposing billions of pounds of austerity cuts on pensioners, low income families and public services, while milking the system for all its worth to get £100,000 of designer clothes and freebies for himself.”

He described this as “shockingly bad judgment” and said the Labour government is “failing to deliver the change it promised voters in Scotland”.

On Friday, it emerged that the Prime Minister and his most senior ministers will no longer accept donations to pay for their clothes.

Mr Flynn said: “Governments are defined by the choices they make. The Labour Party’s political choice to cut the winter fuel payment for 860,000 Scottish pensioners, push thousands of Scottish children into poverty with the two child benefit cap, and to continue Tory cuts to public services stains its reputation and shows its election promises were worthless.

“The SNP wants to work with Labour to deliver the step change people in Scotland deserve. That means an end to austerity and real investment to improve our NHS, boost household incomes, deliver affordable homes, and build a strong economy that works for ordinary families.”

He added: “The time for warm words is over and patience is fast running out. People in Scotland want to see real change now.”

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the process of delivering change has begun though it will not be easy.

He said: “On 4th July Scotland voted for change – to get away from the chaos of a Tory government that had crashed the economy and become mired in sleaze and an SNP government that was failing on public services and focused on the wrong priorities.

“The process will not be easy. It will mean tough decisions we did not expect nor want to make after the Tories left a £22 billion black hole in the finances, having spent the Treasury reserves three times over by July.

“But it’s better to be honest and up front with people and take those difficult decisions, and treat people’s money with respect. Because if you don’t, you find yourself in the mess the SNP made for themselves. £500 million worth of cuts.

“We are cleaning up 14 years of Tory mess so we can fix the foundations for the future, whereas the SNP are cleaning up a mess of their own, 17 years in the making while defending the dreadful mess the Tories made. There is no return to austerity and we have protected the triple lock on pensions.

“The process of delivering change has begun, with progress made on establishing GB energy, a publicly owned energy company headquartered in Scotland, and our plans to make work pay by increasing the minimum wage.”

Scottish Conservative party chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: “It’s fair to say that Labour’s honeymoon period is well and truly over with recent polls showing a sharp drop in support and trust in its leadership

“The Labour Government have shamefully betrayed pensioners by cutting winter fuel payments whilst shelling out on double-digit public-sector pay deals.

“Keir Starmer hardly had his foot in the door before he and his chancellor decided to deploy smoke and mirrors about the country’s finances while playing the blame game when their spending plans didn’t add up.

“The sad reality is that Scotland is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the independence obsessed SNP ignoring the real issues facing Scotland and a Labour Party who are out of their depth and who choose to impose savage cuts on the most vulnerable Scots.”