Farage and his party are dangerous charlatans - Angus Robertson
Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse are going to the polls in a by-election that really matters. It matters not just for this constituency, but for all of Scotland, because it is now a two-horse race between the SNP and Nigel Farage.
Labour and the Tories have given up the fight, dodging TV debates and husting meetings. The by-election will either see the election of a moderate, mainstream SNP MSP or a populist right-wing Farage fan boy.
No wonder a growing number of voters understand that a lot is riding on this by-election and that the Farage agenda is no appealing at all.
Farage supports NHS privatisation with an insurance payment model. Farage supports the hollowing out of the social care system in Scotland with crazy immigration restrictions. Farage is more responsible for the cost-of-living crisis than most with the consequences of his hard Brexit.
Farage wants to undermine Scottish democracy and public spending. Farage has stood by an appalling racist campaign video. The stakes could not be higher.
Households across Scotland are feeling the pinch. Soaring prices, energy bills and other costs are having a real impact. What people need right now is practical support — not a snake oil salesman. That’s why the SNP is acting decisively.
The SNP Scottish Government is reintroducing the winter fuel payment for all pensioners — a vital support that Labour cut when they had the chance to help.
The SNP Scottish Government is committed to scrapping the two-child cap on child benefits, which has pushed thousands of families deeper into poverty.
The SNP Scottish Government is scrapping peak rail fares, cutting costs for commuters and helping families save on daily travel. These are concrete and costed actions which are designed to support people through the cost-of-living crisis.
In this by-election, SNP candidate Katy Loudon is offering a clear alternative to the failing UK Labour government, discredited Tories and Nigel Farage.
A dedicated local councillor and teacher, Katy understands the challenges families face and is standing on a platform of delivery, not delay. Her pledge to protect local services includes fighting Labour’s proposal to cut school bus services — a move that would disrupt travel for thousands of pupils and burden parents already under pressure.
Labour, meanwhile, have effectively abandoned this contest. They’ve offered no new ideas, no plan for the future, and no defence against the growing influence of Nigel Farage’s toxic brand of politics.
It’s crystal clear that Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is now a straight fight between the SNP and a far-right agenda that has no place in our communities.
Voters should remember that Farage is making wild policy suggestions that are entirely unworkable, undeliverable and uncosted.
Where he recently won in England he is emulating the slash and burn tactics of Elon Musk in seeking to cut billions of pounds of imagined wasteful public spending. Meanwhile, when important events are on in parliament he’s been posted missing on holiday.
He and his party are dangerous charlatans. They pursue power with backing from super-rich donors, but it will be the poor and vulnerable that pay the price.
I urge voters across the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency to back Katy Loudon and a future built on fairness, compassion and delivery. Vote SNP to keep the Scottish Parliament Farage-free.