IN the run-up to the General Election, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar campaigned on the message “there will be no austerity under Labour”. This message was reiterated on Monday when new Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP addressed the Labour Party conference.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar slated over 'party before people' Labour conference speech
The question is, is the withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) from more than a quarter of a million pensioners in Scotland not “austerity”? I was appalled by Anas Sarwar’s speech to the Labour conference as he called for Scottish Labour MPs to “stand up and take a bow”. That would be the Scottish Labour MPs who voted along party lines to withdraw the WFP – shame on them.
Incidentally, the Labour leader in Scotland and the Secretary of State for Scotland (Ian Murray MP) have not missed out of the “freebies”. They enjoyed some hospitality on Saturday in Liverpool, but not at the conference.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
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