Charles Kennedy

Employment is dependent upon a strong and vibrant economy and it is therefore a current and ongoing danger to employment in Scotland the SNP government has allowed the economy to fall behind the rest of the UK, due to their neglect, while they continue to concentrate on their obsession with independence.

Scotland’s economy is shrinking and nears recession, resulting in the employment rate lagging behind rUK. As the UK GDP grew in the last quarter of 2016, in Scotland it fell and employment is now almost one per cent lower than the UK as a whole.

Higher taxation in Scotland, imposed by the SNP government, results in business in Scotland suffering. The Scottish Chamber of Commerce said:“Abandon this high-tax agenda as these policies risk driving investment out of Scotland.”

The alternative is clear. The Conservative and Unionist Party will help secure the long-term sustainability of the Scottish economy by placing Scotland and Scottish industries at the centre of our industrial strategy.

We will back those who want to work hard by helping businesses create more and better-paid jobs and we will strike new deals for our goods and services with new friends and old partners around the world.

Our continued Union with our family of nations that is the UK strengthens our support for Scottish business and thereby Scottish employment. The UK Government has backed Scotland with over £1bn of extra investment through the block grant and direct investment.