Ed Miliband and Iain Gray campaigned together in Scotland yesterday. The pair visited apprentices in Aberdeen working in helicopter supply in the oil industry, met with North East business leaders and Tesco financial services staff in Dundee before holding a Q&A session with voters in Fife.
Speaking whilst campaigning alongside Iain Gray in Scotland, Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband said:
"It's great to be here in Scotland today, meeting people with Iain Gray and talking about what really matters in the run up to these vital elections. "Labour's offer to the people of Scotland is being well received.
"By talking about issues like jobs, halving cancer waiting times and abolishing youth unemployment, people know that Labour will focus relentlessly on the things that matter to them. The SNP just haven’t grasped the scale of the challenge now that the Tories are back, but I know that Labour will make the Scottish Parliament the best defence against these unfair Tory cuts.
"Iain's plans on abolishing youth unemployment, bringing back the future jobs fund, guaranteeing apprentices, supporting those on the lowest pay - are the very things that Labour exists for.
On the SNP dossier highlighting their claimed 84/94 manifesto promises delivered, Iain Gray labelled the Nationalists' claims as 'weak, weak, weak'.
"This is weak, weak, weak. It is pretty desperate stuff," Mr Gray said. "The document is riddled with errors and they seem to have forgotten what they actually promised last time."
Highlghting SNP pledges form 2007 that were not implemented, the Scottish Labour leader said:
"The SNP promised to abolish council tax, write off student debt, give grants to first time buyers, maintain teacher numbers, reduce class sizes – all promises made, all promises broken.
"They didn't even hold a referendum on independence even thought that's the only reason the SNP exists. Under the SNP, child poverty and unemployment are up, but teachers and classroom assistants are down.
"Their only approach in this election is to ask for people’s votes by way of thanks for things they haven’t even managed to do."
Want to discuss other issues? Join in the debate on our new Scottish Voices forum
Scottish Labour’s finance spokesperson, Andy Kerr, has accused Nicola Sturgeon of "letting the cat out the bag" over the SNP's continued support for introduce a local income tax, Scottish Labour have said today. On the Newsnight Scotland programme the SNP Deputy Leader confirmed that the party remains committed to introducing a local income tax - and will use parliamentary time to do "preparatory work" on it. The SNP are currently battling a publically funded Court of Session case to keep details of their tax plan secret, despite leaked revelations that the tax would need to be set 50% higher than the SNP have repeatedly claimed. Labour has estimated that the SNP’s local income tax plans will cost an average family £558 per year. Mr Kerr said, "For all the evasive wording, sidestepping and skirting of local income tax in the SNP manifesto, Nicola Sturgeon’s blunder has well and truly let the cat out the bag." He went on to say, "No amount of SNP spin or gloss will detract from the fact that the SNP’s local income tax is unfair, unwanted and will hit families in the pocket families to the tune of £558 per year when families are already feeling the squeeze.Related posts: