Chancellor’s speech can be summed up by ‘pay more get less’

Last week the chancellor delivered his Autumn Statement.

During his speech, Jeremy Hunt outlined a series of tax rises while also announcing a slow in public spending.

His statement could ultimately be boiled down to four words: pay more, get less.

It is worth remembering why this Autumn Statement was necessary.

Had it not been for the Tories’obsession with hard-right economics, and Liz Truss’disastrous tenure, then there would be no need for such extreme measures.

Instead, Scottish households are forced to pay the price for the gross economic incompetence of the UK government.

Given the Tories’record since coming to power, it is perhaps not surprising that the Autumn Statement will absolutely hammer families across Scotland.

Average household disposable incomes are forecast to fall by seven per cent in real terms according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

This would erode almost a decade of growth in living standards, taking them back to levels not seen since 2013-14.

To make matters worse, it means that living standards would not recover to pre-pandemic levels until after 2027-28 – a devastating indictment of the UK government’s economic mismanagement.

And the decision to increase the energy price cap from £2500 to £3000 for an average household will have a potentially devastating impact on vulnerable households across Scotland.

Already, the exorbitant price of energy bills is pushing too many families to the brink of financial calamity, and news of a further hike in prices will be of huge concern to households across the country.

And, of course, the elephant in the room is Brexit.

There is now a mountain of indisputable evidence that Brexit has made us poorer and is actively damaging our economy.

There is now a mountain of indisputable evidence that Brexit has made us poorer

The Office of Budget Responsibility has already forecast a four per cent hit to GDP as a result of Brexit and estimated that the UK’s trade intensity will be 15 per cent lower than if the UK remained in the EU.

In Scotland, Brexit has reduced our exports by £2.2bn – 13 per cent – over the past year.

To make matters worse, a senior Bank of England official last week told MPs that, as a result of Brexit, UK food prices were six per cent higher and that there had been a 2.6 per cent real terms cut in workers wages across Scotland, Wales and England.

In the face of colossal economic challenges, it is simply unacceptable to ignore the harm that Brexit is causing.

It is clear, also, that there has been a distinct shift in public opinion. A recent poll indicated that 72 per cent of Scots would vote for EU membership in another poll.

And a recent UK-wide poll indicated that less than one third of voters now believed that leaving the EU was the right decision, with 56 per cent saying it was the wrong decision – the highest result ever recorded.

And yet, the UK government continues to impose this failed, unpopular experiment on the people of Scotland. To make matters worse, the Labour Party, in their desperate attempt to appeal to Leave voters, has matched the Tories’ extremism on Brexit.

The only way, then, for Scotland to rejoin the EU – and finally free ourselves from the economic chaos of the United Kingdom – is through independence.

With each passing day the arguments in favour of charting our own future become more compelling.