CELEBRATING THE FIRST anniversary this week of the SNP’s landslide victory in Scotland at the UK General Election, Moray’s MP has said that his party remain the only “effective opposition” to the Tory government.
Angus Robertson has been highlighting the strong impact made by the SNP at Westminster – and pledges that they will continue to “be a force for equality, social justice and progressive change” by standing up for Scotland.
“One year ago people here in Moray and across the country voted for the SNP and put their trust in us to stand up for Scotland at Westminster,” Mr Roberson said, adding that his party had kept their word and delivered by making a lasting impact.
He added that the SNP was providing the only “consistent and effective opposition to the damaging policies of this arrogant Tory government.”
He added: “I have repeatedly referred to the number of people contacting me who are really struggling, people who are sick and disabled and have seen major cuts to the support they receive.
“It is the SNP in Westminster that are providing the clear, consistent and principled opposition – calling for a modest 0.5% increase in spending to protect services and the vulnerable while bringing down the deficit at a sensible rate, voting against the economically illiterate Tory fiscal charter, and leading the opposition to the deep cuts to tax credits and to disabled people’s Personal Independence Payments (PIPs), both of which the Chancellor was then forced to abandon.”
Mr Robertson also pointed to the Scotland Bill and their work in halting a cut of £7billion on Scotland’s budget and the work done in securing concessions including a freeze on fuel duty and whisky duty in the UK Budget.
He added: “On foreign policy, it was the SNP that first raised the issue of the refugee crisis at PMQs last year, and when David Cameron refused to accept our fair share of vulnerable child refugees it was the SNP that pursued the issue week after week, putting him on the spot and shaming him into a public U-turn last week.”
Looking ahead, he said: “In the coming months we face the EU referendum, and the vote to renew Trident.
“We are the only party to remain united on these issues. We are campaigning positively for the UK to remain in the EU, and we are united in opposing the waste of billions of pounds on Trident nuclear weapons – while other parties fail to find a unified position on either.
“The SNP is the only party at Westminster with a clear vision and a strong voice. That is why – in the year ahead we will be the only party providing an effective force for progressive values and change in the UK Parliament.”