WE all know that Johnson’s government has been inept. The bungled Covid response, the extreme brinkmanship over Brexit negotiations, not to mention its blank check for Tory corruption and sleaze. Yet whilst the Prime Minister tries to save his job, he’s doing nothing to save the people of these islands from a cost of living crisis created by his own hands.

This week the SNP sought to hold the government to account over its actions. Using our space as the third-largest party in Westminster, we brought the issue of the rising cost of living to the forefront. Predictably few Tories turned up. Those that did had little to offer. We, on the other hand, laid out the facts starkly.

Inflation has now risen to 5.4%, the highest in 30 years. The current price cap for energy prices (£1277 per year) is set to rise in April to £2000 a year. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has highlighted how benefits need to rise twice as fast as planned to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Taking inflation into account, real pay fell by 1% in the year to November. Starkly, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that average real wages will be lower in 2026 than they were in 2008. Oh, and the UK has the worst levels of poverty and inequality in north-west Europe, whilst it has also has the least generous pension in the region.

Brexit has only exacerbated the problems. Lorry driver shortages are endemic as are seasonal workers who played a crucial role in picking the fruit and veg in our fields. Meanwhile unnecessary tariffs and paperwork imposes a Brexit tax on all of us, precisely at the moment when people across these islands are facing the consequences of Tory ideological austerity.

READ MORE: What food prices are rising in the UK due to inflation?

I was particularly struck by a Twitter thread posted by the anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe. Monroe first came to public knowledge with family recipes for £10 a week and has powerfully advocated on poverty and hunger campaigns. Their Twitter thread outlines the shocking rise in food prices.

Last year, the cheapest pasta in the local supermarket was 29p for 500g. Today it’s now 70p. A year ago, the cheapest rice in the same place was 45p for a kilo bag. Today, it’s £1 for 500g. Baked Beans were 22p, now they are 32p. Meanwhile, an upmarket ready meal range was £7.50 10 years ago and is still £7.50 today. If it had risen at the same rate as essential foods, it would cost £25.80.

Behind all these numbers are the faces of our friends, families and colleagues. It is our grandparents who have to shiver in their homes as fuel becomes unaffordable. It is our children whose only reliable meal comes from their schools. It is our sibling, our cousin, our friend who, despite working hard, sees their income shrink whilst tax dodgers make their money work for them.

READ MORE: This Scottish city has seen the biggest rental price rise in the UK

Welcome to Global Britain. The poor suffer what they must, the middle classes are squeezed out of existence, whilst Johnson et al party whilst society burns. So much for the Tories’ “Big Society” The Scottish Government is doing what it can to mitigate the cost of this Tory Cost of Living Crisis. It has doubled the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per child per week. It is investing £831 million in affordable housing, progressing its commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable, energy efficient homes by 2032. The new Scottish Budget is driving forward our mission to tackle child poverty by investing in training and employment opportunities, addressing financial insecurity, improving living standards, and ensuring every young person can reach their full potential.

The SNP has a vision for the type of progressive, secure and stable society that we want to create. It is a society where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential and poverty is consigned to the history books. It is a vision which is being denied by a Tory government hell-bent on holding the economic levers and continually rejects Scotland’s right to decide its own future.

As we look to put the pandemic behind over the coming years, it is ever more clear that independence is the means to build a better future. With independence, we will have the powers necessary to address the root causes of poverty and inequality which blight our society. With independence in Europe, we will put the rocket boosters on this recovery turbocharged with access to the world’s largest single-market and European solidarity. The Tories have created this cost of living crisis but it is with independence that we will ensure that, like Johnson’s premiership, poverty in Scotland is consigned to the history books.