The danger to Scotland of unopposed Tory government is real

So over the next month I will play my part in encouraging everyone in every corner of Scotland to use their vote.

 

Because now, more than ever, it really matters.

 

Now more than ever, it’s vital to have strong voices standing up for Scotland.

 

The Tories have made their aim clear – they want nothing less than to govern unopposed at Westminster.

 

And the danger to Scotland of unopposed Tory government is real.

Everyone will pay a heavy price. But it will be those on low incomes and the vulnerable who will pay the highest price of all.

 

And the impact will be long-lasting and damaging.

 

That’s why it’s vital, now more than ever, to have strong SNP voices standing up for Scotland at Westminster.

 

My pledge to the people of Scotland is this:

 

We will continue to work hard every day to make Scotland the best country it can be. We can’t do anything less. It’s in the SNP’s DNA.

 

The Tories know how uncomfortable people feel about Conservative Party policies.

 

So they’ve decided not to talk about them. They are ashamed and embarrassed to bring them up.

 

And no wonder.

 

They are the party of the Bedroom Tax, of the Rape Clause, of child poverty, of cuts to Scotland’s budget, of cuts to disabled support, of student tuition fees.

 

They are the party of cuts to child tax credits – but also cuts in Income Tax for the richest.

 

They are the party of new nuclear weapons costing many billions of pounds.

 

And they are the party of an extreme Brexit at any cost.

 

A vote for the Tories is a vote for what experts say will be the biggest rise in inequality since the days of Margaret Thatcher.

 

Under the cover of Brexit the Tories are hoping you won’t notice their intentions.

 

It is the sheer immorality of policies like the Rape Clause and Bedroom Tax that demonstrates the danger of an unopposed Tory government at Westminster.

 

In the last Parliament it was the strength of the SNP at Holyrood and at Westminster that stopped the Tories introducing a new funding formula for even deeper cuts to Scotland’s budget.

 

But we know the Tories will try again.

 

So in the next Parliament SNP MPs will be a strong voice for Scotland again. We will do everything we can to stop Tory austerity, and to protect the funding available for the NHS and our other public services.

 

The Tories say they are fighting back.

 

They are – but not against the SNP. The Tories are fighting back against a Scottish Parliament they never wanted in the first place.

 

So in this election there is much at stake.

 

Things like the future of our Parliament, and the right of the people of Scotland to choose their own future.

 

And the dangers of an unopposed Tory government with a free hand to do whatever it wants.

 

That’s why from now until June the 8th the SNP will be taking this campaign to every community in Scotland.

 

It’s a campaign we intend to win.

Read more here about the cost of a Tory vote at this election.