We’re leading the way with progressive policies
by Over the last ten years we’ve worked hard to make Scotland the best country it can be. It’s no wonder other parties are now taking their lead from the SNP.
Labour and the Tories opposed progressive SNP policies tooth and nail for a decade – now they’re promising what the SNP has delivered.
Here are just some of the ways the SNP has been leading the way.
Health
♥ We scrapped all charges for medicine in 2011, helping keep people healthy and our NHS true to its founding principles. The Tories have opposed the policy for a decade, including in their 2016 manifesto. Now they’ve cynically backed free prescriptions.
♥ We scrapped car parking charges for NHS-run hospital car parks in Scotland in 2008, making it easier for people to visit loved ones in hospital. Labour have now proposed scrapping NHS car parking charges in England.
♥ We have already protected free personal care, free childcare and free school meals against callous Tory cuts. Now the Tories are hitting pensioners and are squeezing family budgets with their continued assault on welfare and their cuts to free school meals in England.
Education
When the Tories scrapped the Education Maintenance Allowance in 2010, the SNP maintained it in Scotland. And we’ve expanded it to help keep more young people in education. Labour’s manifesto commits to bringing the policy back in England.
The SNP has opposed tuition fees since they were first introduced by Labour in 1997, and in 2008 we scrapped them in Scotland. Now Labour have said they will follow our lead in England.
Fair work and fair pay
In government, the SNP pay all staff, including NHS staff, the real Living Wage and we’ve championed it in the private sector too. We’re committed to delivering 50/50 in public sector boardrooms and are taking new action to deliver equal pay. The Tories, who have worked to diminish workers’ rights for decades, are now saying they’ll do the opposite.
In Scotland, we’ve honoured decisions of the independent NHS pay review body. That’s why a Band 5 nurse in Scotland is up to £309 better off in Scotland compared to England. Now Labour have said they’ll honour independent pay reviews in England too.
Social justice
⚖ The SNP has fully mitigated the Bedroom Tax in Scotland and we’ll scrap it once and for all as soon as possible. Labour have now pledged to do the same across the UK.
Housing
In government the SNP has delivered over 60,000 affordable homes and kickstarted a new generation of council house building. And we’ve ended Thatcher’s council home right to buy, which saw almost 500,000 council homes sold off. Remarkably, the Tories are promising to build new council homes.