Daily Record

UK must step back from abyss

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BREXIT Secretary Dominic Raab made the stunning admission last week that he “hadn’t quite understood” the impact any barriers to trade with Europe could have on the availabili­ty of goods for UK consumers.

That staggering claim only confirms that since the EU referendum, the Tory Government have been hell-bent on pursuing an ideologica­l hard Brexit regardless of the disastrous consequenc­es.

We are weeks away from Parliament’s Christmas recess and just a few months from the Brexit date.

It’s time for the Tories to bring an end to their political posturing and work to protect the interests of our economy and labour market.

Business leaders, organisati­ons and ordinary families have been left in the dark over the direction the UK is heading.

Both the Tories – for leading the hard Brexit charge – and Labour – for blindly following suit – will pay a heavy political price unless they step back from brink of the Brexit abyss and work towards a future relationsh­ip that keeps Scotland and the UK in the single market and customs union. That is the only common-sense approach. LAST week was Living Wage Week – an opportunit­y to raise awareness of the work undertaken to secure a living wage for all.

It’s about ensuring workers don’t just receive the minimum wage, but a wage they can actually live on.

New figures from the Social Metrics Commission show almost 10 per cent of those in full-time work in the UK are living in poverty. That’s 2.6million people.

Their predicamen­t is the fault of our economic system, policy and employers – not their own.

It’s a failure of our society that people can work full-time yet they are still not able to meet their basic personal needs.

The Living Wage Foundation are an independen­t body who set the rate of the real living wage based on the costs of living. The Scottish Government

 ??  ?? ADMISSION Dominic Raab
ADMISSION Dominic Raab

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