Hannah Bardell

People in Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU but we are being ignored by a UK Government that wants to take Scotland out of the European Single Market, which is eight times the size of the UK.

The plans for a hard Tory Brexit have already immersed the UK economy in uncertainty, but let’s be clear; all forms of Brexit will harm Scotland’s economy, affect jobs and result in lower household incomes.

A no-deal Brexit will cost each household in Livingston £1,600 – pushing struggling families to the brink and already poor families into destitution. Businesses in Livingston will face barriers to trade, damaging jobs, investment, productivity and earnings

Poorer families in Livingston will be hit harder – the‘poverty premium’means that what middle-income families might consider to be small economic shocks (a rise in the cost of bread or milk) have a much bigger impact on those with comparatively small incomes.

Up to 5,000 jobs are sustained locally by exports to the EU. Due to its relatively strong manufacturing base, the proportion of West Lothian’s international trade with its EU partners is estimated to be higher than the Scottish level, so the local impact is likely to be worse

And 15 to 19 per cent of the workforce in West Lothian work in sectors that are most exposed to a no-deal Brexit

The only way to properly protect Scotland’s interests – and its people – is by becoming an equal and independent EU country.