One of the many advantages of the SNP being the UK Parliament’s third largest party is the opportunity to hold the Tory government to account each week at Prime Minister’s Questions.
As leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, I have the responsibility of highlighting important issues that I know will receive the full glare of Westminster’s media village.
Each week I hold the Tory government to account on an issue they would rather was buried, from their failure to act on international tax avoidance to their failure to act on the plight of refugees. This week was no exception when I called out the prime minister for the completely unacceptable and unjustified pensions bombshell senior citizens could be facing across the UK.
Theresa May has refused to commit to a ‘triple lock’ on pensions – meaning older people face losing out financially. A ‘triple lock’ would ensure the value of the state pension rises in line with inflation so senior citizens are not left out of pocket.
But the truth is, the prime minister is choosing not to support pensioners.
If the Tories were to drop the triple lock commitment it could lead to a huge notional loss of £642 for a basic state pension or £817 for a new state pension over the next five financial years.
If that wasn’t bad enough, pension inequality and unfairness is also a massive issue for two and a half million women in the UK who have been impacted by the spike in the acceleration of the equalisation of the state pension age and have been forced to work for longer without adequate notice as a result, leaving many pensioners facing the prospect of hardship and poverty.
Women across the UK are campaigning tirelessly for what is rightfully theirs, but their pleas are falling on deaf ears – the Tories are choosing not to listen.
I’ve worked with WASPI campaigners (Women Against State Pension Inequality) in Moray to protest this gross injustice and will continue to work hard on their behalf in Westminster to ensure that they – and all pensioners – are treated fairly and that dignity in retirement is secured.
As the Tories continue to turn their back on older people, new research by Age Scotland shows more than 200,000 over 65s in Scotland are struggling financially.
But the Tories, as well as potentially U-turning on the triple lock on the state pension, have done absolutely nothing to encourage older people to claim the vital financial support they are entitled to such as pension credit which helps low income pensioners make ends meet. Instead, Theresa May is happy to let almost £300million sit in the Treasury’s coffers rather than try and get extra support to those who need it.
The SNP Scottish Government’s recently launched campaign to raise awareness of the financial assistance available – backed by Age Scotland – included a full media campaign in a bid to reach as many people as possible. Pensioners should not lose out.
Voters should be in no doubt what a strengthened Tory government would mean – not just the hardest possible Brexit putting jobs and livelihoods at risk – but also further austerity and deeper cuts.
In this general election, every vote for the SNP is a vote to end austerity and a vote for investment in our public services and older people.
It has been an absolute privilege to serve as a Member of Parliament and every single day from now until June 8, I’ll be working hard to convince voters to return me as their MP so that I can continue to be a strong voice for them in Westminster.
More than ever before, this election will be about standing up for Scotland, in the face of a right-wing, austerity obsessed Tory government with no mandate in Scotland but which now thinks it can do whatever it wants and get away with it. The SNP won’t let them.
At this election, a vote for the SNP will send a clear message to the Tories that they will not get away with selling out Scotland’s fishing communities for a second time and that Scotland’s parliament must remain responsible for the industry so we can always put Scotland’s fishing sector first.
The SNP’s well-known and longstanding view is that the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has been damaging to Scotland’s fishing industry – and we have continually argued that it is not fit for purpose. The SNP has been consistent in our views on this issue unlike Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson who has flip-flopped on Brexit from being staunchly against it to being fully supportive in the blink of an eye.
The SNP is the only party that has continually stood up for Scotland’s fishing industry in Europe, in Westminster and in the Scottish Parliament – which is in sharp contrast to the Tories, who infamously and shamefully described our fishing fleet as ‘expendable’ in the past.
And even now, the UK Government is describing the fishing industry as low priority for the upcoming Brexit negotiations and Tory ministers have refused to rule out trading away our fishing rights. It is more important than ever that we have strong SNP voices at Westminster and a strong Scottish Parliament to win the best deal for Scotland’s fishing communities.
For two years I have had the pleasure of working with the intelligence services, a dream job for any James Bond fan.
In 2015 the then prime minister David Cameron asked if I would join the Intelligence and Security Committee which oversees MI5, MI6, GCHQ and defence intelligence. As you can imagine, much of the work has been highly confidential, so I’m limited in what I can say.
What I can confirm though is the amazing professionalism and commitment across the intelligence services.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to them all, to the police and the armed forces as well. In an age of heightened security risks and sad examples of terrorism such as the recent attack on Westminster, it is the security services and police who run towards danger to keep society safe. Given much of what they do does not receive public coverage it’s still important to understand how much vital work they do on our behalf. I’m sure you join me in wishing them continuing success.