We’re party of the family, says Nicola
When did you say the next referendum would be Nicola?
NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday unveiled a series of policies aimed at winning the votes of families.
The SNP leader said that her party would fight to protect ‘hard-pressed’ household budgets from further austerity as she published a ‘families manifesto’.
It featured a tranche of populist pledges on child benefit rates, pay, anti-austerity measures, childcare and school meals.
And it also included a new pledge to fight to end ‘maternity discrimination’, where women can lose their job or be demoted after being signed off on maternity leave.
It is the latest attempt by the First Minister to target female votes with women-friendly policies.
Launching the manifesto at a soft play centre in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, where she was pictured in the familiar election pose clutching a baby, Miss Sturgeon pledged that her MPs would use any influence they have at Westminster after the General Election to fight for a better deal for families.
She said: ‘The last five years of Westminster austerity have taken their toll on already hard-pressed family budgets – with women and the poorest 10 per cent of households consistently hit hardest. The Tories are signed up to £30 billion of further cuts – and, left to their own devices, we know that Labour plan to follow their lead.
‘But the influence of a strong team of SNP MPs at Westminster can stop these cuts in their tracks. Our proposal for a modest public spending increase will enable increased spending on Scotland’s public services – including increasing NHS spending by a total of £2 billion by 2020.
‘Today I am setting out how SNP MPs at Westminster will further use their influence to ensure our families get the support they need to thrive.’
Among the policies, which will also feature in the full SNP manifesto due to be published later this month, are a commitment to increase the minimum wage to £8.70 per hour by 2020, increase child tax credits and child benefit, halt cuts in public spending and force all welfare policy to be subjected to equality impact assessments.
It also commits the SNP to delivering on its pledges to increase free childcare, continue free school meals, keep university education free, maintain the council tax freeze and continue free prescriptions.