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‘Drakeford blames the Tories’ say SNP after Scottish Labour criticism over cost of living crisis

08 Apr 2022 3 minute read
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Picture by the Scottish Parliament. Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford. Picture by the Welsh Government.

The SNP have pointed to the words of Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford after Scottish Labour attempted to blame the Scottish Government for the cost of living crisis.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said that he wanted to see councils such as Glasgow “stand up and fight for the city, not stand up and fight for the SNP”.

Glasgow City Council is currently run by the SNP who, at 35 seats, have five more than Labour there. “Anyone that goes into Glasgow city centre can see how neglected it’s been,” Anas Sarwar said. “Anyone who looks at the state of the roads can see the difference that a Labour council makes.”

The SNP however said that the Scottish Labour leader’s comments contradicted those of Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford who had laid the blame for declining living standards firmly at the door of the Conservative UK Government.

SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: “Labour’s Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford this week made clear that the cost-of-living crisis is down to the Tories at Westminster.

“We would welcome Mr Sarwar joining with him and with us in speaking with one voice in demanding that the UK Government use the substantial levers at its disposal to help people and families who are struggling now – otherwise Labour will continue to be a complete irrelevance in this campaign.”

She added: “Our firm action stands in stark contrast to the callous indifference shown by the Tories at Westminster.

“Yet time and time again, Anas Sarwar tries to blame the crisis on the SNP while cynically demanding that we use powers that we do not have – powers that he himself campaigned to keep in the hands of the Tories.”

Speaking at the launch of Welsh Labour’s campaign at Bridgend College’s Steam Academy, alongside UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, Mark Drakeford had branded it a “Tory cost of living crisis”.

“It has not come out of thin air,” he said. “A decade of austerity has undermined the capacity of hard-working families right across the UK to withstand the stresses and strains that are about to be vested upon them.

“It is a Tory government that decided in the spring statement only 10 days ago to say in the figures they themselves published that their decisions will result in… half a million more children across the United Kingdom living in poverty over the next two years.”


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GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
1 year ago

The way Scottish Labour behave made me totally forget Welsh and Scottish Labour come from the same party. I just see them as tory now. Exactly the same anti Scottish sentiment you see from the tories.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

If the English don’t change their ways and become liberal democratic and allow Wales (and Scotland devo-max and England to be federal) then Welsh Labour and Mark Drakeford will have to change their ways and become a party for Wales and to take Wales to independence.
If it does not do this then Welsh Labour will be consigned to history just as Scottish Labour has been.

Dave
Dave
1 year ago

An argument well made and correct, the question now is if Welsh Labour step up, become an affiliate of English Labour and push for Independence what will happen to Plaid?

Arwyn
Arwyn
1 year ago
Reply to  Arwyn

To be fair, you couldn’t put a rizla paper between the two parties on most policies. The only significant difference is on the constitution. The difference between Scottish Labour and Welsh Labour is that those that have become indy Wales recently have stuck with Welsh Labour whereas their Scottish counterparts have given up on Labour and gone over to the SNP. IMHO all of these things are in flux – ultimately they are a response to a dying UK. New constitutional arrangements will emerge. What survives depends on positions taken and the process.  I’d say to Labour, be brave. Look… Read more »

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Scottish Labour have not learned their lesson have they? They are still the New Labour of old who would sell Scots & Scotland down the river, as would most Unionists, that show blind loyalty to their Southern English establishment masters in London. And the reason why Labour in Scotland are still floundering in opposition is because his party in 2014 linked armed with the BritNat Tories & UKIP to stop Scottish independence, and in effect have facilitated both Brexit and the current Tory power grab of Scottish, Welsh & Northern Irish devolution. And Labour leader Anwar Sanwar can quote Mark… Read more »

Grayham Jones
1 year ago

The UK is finished Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and Ireland 🇮🇪 must be independent stop being little Englanders and be proud to be welsh Scottish and Irish kick all English party’s out

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