Austerity willgoon, saysSNP

The UK budget is a massive failure and does nothing for people in this area, an SNP MSP claimed.

Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey argued that local people will continue to feel the squeeze following the Chancellor’s Budget statement on Monday.

The UK Government unveiled their final planned budget before the UK is set to leave the European Union next March.

Ms Haughey said: “The Conservative government’s budget does little for my Rutherglen and Cambuslang constituents.

“It’s clear that austerity will go on and it’s the poorest in society who will continue to pay for it.

“This Chancellor has failed to introduce a real living wage, failed to lift the benefits freeze, failed to scrap the two-child cap, failed to abolish the bedroom tax, failed to halt universal credit and failed to give fairness to the Waspi women who have lost their pensions.”

The Chancellor Philip Hammond insisted that his Budget meant that the “era of austerity is finally coming to an end”.

Lib Dem councillor Robert Brown, who serves the Rutherglen South ward, disagreed.

He said: “This was largely a standstill Budget with some giveaways funded by statistical errors in the forecasts.

“It failed on two main tests. It is totally overshadowed by the threat of Brexit to the public finances. These costs could reach £80 billion a year if there is no deal with the EU.

“Even the Chancellor has found it necessary to squirrel away £15 billion towards paying for Brexit.

“It doesn’t end austerity. That could only be done by raising taxes.

“As we know, schools, hospitals, council services are all under pressure – as are the wages and incomes of many families.”