Scotland’s public services will pay the price for Labour’s broken election promised, with reports today confirming that Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP is planning tax rises and yet further damaging cuts to public services in October’s budget.
The SNP and respected independent institutions, such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, repeatedly warned throughout the recent general election campaign that Labour’s plans would result in at less £18,000 million of further cuts to public services.
This was flatly denied by senior Labour figures, including Anas Sarwar MSP, who during a Scottish leaders' election debate in June, explicitly stated ‘read my lips – no austerity under Labour’.
Today’s Guardian confirms that, as expected, the Chancellor is planning to announce tax raises and further cuts in her first budget, despite stronger than expected growth in the first half of the year.
This is yet another political humiliation for Mr Sarwar after Reeves immediately announced cuts to public services on coming into office - ditching the Winter Fuel Payment for 85% of pensioners in their first few weeks in power.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“It seems that Anas Sarwar was prepared to make promises he couldn’t keep in order to win votes during the election campaign.
“It’s also clear that he has little or no influence with his bosses in London.
“Scotland has suffered from 15 years of Labour, Coalition and Tory austerity and cuts to public services. It’s increasingly obvious that Labour has no intention of delivering the ‘change’ which they repeatedly promised throughout the election campaign.
“With Labour feigning surprise at the state of the public finances to justify further cuts, the SNP government remains focused on delivering on the priorities of the Scottish people - eradicating child poverty, promoting economic growth and making our public services sustainable.”
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