Local elections Sarwar calls on voters to remove SNP’S ‘puppets’ from councils

ANAS Sarwar has urged voters to remove the SNP’S “puppets” from councils in today’s elections to allow the reversal of budget cuts and rebuilding of communities.

The Scottish Labour leader is hoping to improve on his party’s performance at the 2017 local election, when the Tories, under Ruth Davidson, replaced Labour as the second biggest party in terms of both councillors and first preference vote share. Meanwhile, the SNP and the Tories turned their fire on Labour yesterday, after a new poll suggested Mr Sarwar’s party could come in second.

The Savanta Comres survey for The Scotsman newspaper found that 46 per cent of voters would give their constituency vote to the SNP at the next Holyrood election, while 25% would back Labour and 18% would support the Tories. Though only one point up on the firm’s poll in March, that is Labour’s biggest lead over the Tories since 2015.

Tory leader Douglas Ross claimed Labour would “betray pro-uk voters the minute the election is over”.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said Labour could not be trusted to “protect local services”.

THE SNP and the Tories turned their fire on Labour yesterday, after a new poll suggested Anas Sarwar’s party could come in second.

The Savanta Comres survey for The Scotsman newspaper found that 46 per cent of voters would give their constituency vote to the SNP at the next Holyrood election, while 25% would back Labour and 18% would support the Tories.

Though only one point up on the firm’s poll in March, that is

Labour’s biggest lead over the Tories since 2015.

Tory leader Douglas Ross went on the attack. He claimed Labour would “betray pro-uk voters the minute the election is over. “

Mr Ross said: “Voting Scottish Conservative is the best way to beat the SNP and get the focus onto your local priorities, like fixing roads, cleaning up streets and investing in schools.

“Labour can’t be trusted to stand up to the SNP. They’re in coalition with the SNP in six councils right now and they’re standing dozens of pro-referendum candidates in this election.

“It doesn’t matter if Anas Sarwar is pro-uk, his party isn’t. Labour will betray pro-uk voters the minute the election is over.

Meanwhile, SNP depute leader Keith Brown said Labour could not be trusted to “protect local services.”

He said: “Councils across Scotland are still paying for the unmitigated disaster that was PFI contracts, with local authorities using up a sizeable chunk of their education budgets to pay for the legacy of these disastrous deals.

“That is money that could be spent on making sure our schools recover from the pandemic and investing in Scotland’s children.”

During yesterday’s First Minister’s Questions, Mr Sarwar clashed with Nicola Sturgeon over council funding, accusing the SNP of a £6 billion cut to council budgets.

“In Glasgow alone that cut has been over £1bn and what does that mean in practice across Scotland?” he said.

“It means the First Minister tweets about reading books, but one in eight libraries shut since 2010 after a £210 million cut to library budgets.”

The First Minister hit back, saying local council funding in Labourcontrolled Wales was 10.7% lower than in Scotland.

Meanwhile, in their final message to voters, the Scottish Greens promised they would “work with anyone”. However, MSP Gillian Mackay suggested her party would find it difficult to be colleagues with the Tories.

She added: “A Tory hard Brexit has hit food supplies, Tory social security cuts have hit household budgets and Tory obsession with fossil fuels has led to soaring energy bills. People are struggling with a cost of living crisis that is entirely of the UK Government’s making.”

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-hamilton said his party were seeing “new shoots of growth and renewal.”

He said: “My party has used this campaign to talk about solutions.”