Scottish National Party launches 2017 UK General Election manifesto

Today (30 May 2017) the Scottish National Party (SNP) launched their manifesto for the 2017 UK General Election which takes place on June 8th. Some 1,400 people gathered in Perth for the launch of the manifesto 'Stronger For Scotland'. In it they set out their plan to end austerity, strengthen Scotland’s hand in Brexit negotiations and ensure the right for Scottish people to choose their own future. Leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon stated that now, more than ever, it is vital to have strong SNP voices standing up for Scotland.

The manifesto proposes a raft of measures including:

• A plan for additional National Health Service (NHS) spending across the UK that would, by 2021/22, increase the NHS Scotland budget by up to an extra £1bn
• Increase the minimum wage to over £10 per hour by the end of the parliament, promising that SNP MPs will support moves over the next Parliament to increase the Minimum Wage to the level of the real Living Wage
• Lift the freeze on benefits and abolish the two-child cap and the so-called Rape Clause
• Protect the triple lock on pensions, the mechanism that ensures the State Pension rises by the highest of inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent,  protect the winter fuel allowance and support fair pensions for women
• No increase in taxation on the low paid, in National Insurance or in VAT.
• Support a UK-wide increase in the higher rate of taxation from 45p to 50p.
• Boost jobs, growth and productivity. To create jobs, they propose a doubling of the Employment Allowance – the National Insurance discount that businesses receive when they increase employment. They also stated they would back fair work by supporting the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts.

In addressing the issue of independence for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said:

"Last year's Holyrood election delivered the democratic mandate for an independence referendum in the event of Brexit, and the recent vote of the Scottish Parliament underlined that mandate.

"If the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats in this election, that will further reinforce that mandate. And in these circumstances, any continued Tory attempts to block Scotland having a choice - when the time is right and the options are clear - would be democratically unsustainable."