SNP manifesto: what it means for rural and remote communities

by the SNP
Posted on
7 years ago
2 min read

We have now launched our manifesto for the General Election on 8 June. It sets out how we will ensure that there is strong opposition to a re-elected and increasingly hard line Tory government at Westminster. 

The SNP always has and always will champion rural Scotland. Here’s how strong SNP voices will stand up for our rural, remote and island communities at Westminster.

 

  • SNP MPs will fight to maintain Single Market membership – protecting Scotland’s biggest overseas regional food and drink export market. And we will continue to call on the UK government to guarantee the right of EU nationals to stay in Scotland, including the 8,000 EU nationals who have come to work in our food and drink sector.

 

  • SNP MPs will demand the UK government pass on the £190 million additional EU ‘convergence uplift’ funding that it received as a result of Scotland’s historically low average farm payments.

 

  • We will fight any and all Tory attempts to grab Scotland’s farming powers and funding for Westminster following Brexit.

 

  • We will continue in all circumstances to demand the scrapping or fundamental reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and Scottish control of Scottish fisheries – we will also oppose any attempt by the UK government to treat the fishing industry as a bargaining chip.

  • To support the vital tourism industry in rural Scotland, we will call on the UK government to examine a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector.

  • SNP MPs will campaign for a UK government funding commitment to an Ayrshire Growth Deal, a Tay City Deal, a Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deal, an Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal, and a Deal for the Islands of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

  • SNP MPs will demand that the UK government meets the ambition and funding put forward by the Scottish Government to develop the south of Scotland.

  • SNP MPs successfully secured a commitment to a Universal Service Obligation for broadband of 10MBps – we will now call for it to cover up to 30 Mbps with a mechanism to ensure rural areas are not left behind.

 

  • SNP MPs will support a summit on mobile phone “not spots” – where there is little or limited signal – inviting service providers and the UK government to do more to improve mobile connectivity.

 

  • We will call on the UK government to ensure future mobile spectrum licensing have a ‘rural areas first’ policy for deployments.

 

  • We will call on the UK government to step in to regulate for fair delivery charges for rural communities.

  • SNP MPs will seek presumptions against the closure of rural post offices and seek to expand the services available, including local banking.

 

  • SNP MPs will engage the UK government in discussions on the feasibility of improving cross-border rail links, including linking Carlisle to the Borders Railway.

  • SNP MPs will press for a review of the Voluntary Code of Practice for the dairy sector and for contract provisions and arrangements to better meet the interests and needs of milk producers.

  • We will seek to ensure that any future trade deals secure geographical indications for key Scottish food and drink products like Scotch Whisky, Arbroath smokies and Stornoway black pudding.

 

  • We support the development of wind and other renewable energy projects in the Northern and Western Isles and we will champion the interests of islands and mainland communities to ensure they benefit financially from renewable energy projects.

Read the manifesto in full here.