Why Scotland must focus on tackling poverty, not independence – Ian Murray MP

As we face a major economic slump, SNP politicians intent on restarting the independence debate have got their priorities all wrong, writes Ian Murray MP.

Labour want to enshrine the human right to food in Scots law (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Amid the excitement of pubs and restaurants preparing to reopen in July, it’s easy to feel a sense of optimism following the devastation of lockdown. I’m certainly looking forward to a socially-distanced pint in a beer garden as much as anyone, especially if my friends have forgotten it’s my round!

The measures to ease restrictions, when based on sound scientific and medical evidence, are largely welcome – even if the myriad of different dates in England and Scotland will cause some unnecessary confusion.

But amid this new sense of relief, we must not lose sight of the economic challenges that are around the corner and the need to help those who will be most affected.

Ian Murray is the Labour MP for Edinburgh South (Picture: Ian Rutherford)

While it isn’t officially confirmed, we are now in the midst of a deep recession. Every country will be badly hit, and the entire UK is facing an almighty slump. But we face a particular problem in Scotland. Even the former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson – the economist who penned Nicola Sturgeon’s financial blueprint for a separate Scotland – has said Scotland’s economy could be the “worst in the [developed] world” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In April, GDP fell by almost 19 per cent in Scotland and unemployment is already on a steep rise. According to a poll from Advice Direct Scotland, 50 per cent of Scots workers are now worried about their jobs.

And the independent Fraser of Allander Institute has said any hope of a ‘V-shaped’ recovery has gone. “Expect a spike in closures and job losses as firms look ahead . . . to later in the year,” they warned.

Faced with these challenges just around the corner, for some – such as Mr Wilson’s SNP colleague and fellow Edinburgh News columnist Angus Robertson – the solution is to divide Scotland into winners and losers by restarting the poisonous and paralysing debate on independence. That anyone can even consider that a priority is staggering. We must get Scotland off that constitutional roundabout. What matters is tackling the poverty that this crippling recession will worsen.

The sectors likely to be hardest hit, such as hospitality and tourism, are also the places with predominantly the lowest income, young and female workers – and Edinburgh’s economy is largely based on hospitality, along with finance. And we already know that the most deprived communities in Scotland were hit hardest by the virus. Currently, nearly one in four Scottish children lives in poverty. This is a national shame. Without support, a new generation could be left behind. So there’s a real need to focus solutions on redistributive measures to those that need it the most.

In Holyrood, it’s a tale of two parties.

One party, the SNP, has decided to delay the publication of the 2019-20 Progress Report on Child Poverty so that we can’t monitor what is happening – and I expect we won’t see it this side of next May’s election.

The other party, Scottish Labour, has launched a consultation for a Bill that would enshrine the human right to food in Scots law.

It would tackle the food poverty facing too many children, getting right to the heart of the problem which footballer Marcus Rashford has so brilliant raised that changed government policy on free school meals over the summer in both Scotland and England.

Prior to the 2019 General Election I worked on proposals for a Child Poverty Eradication Bill. We should aim to eradicate poverty and make sure the entire machinery of both governments is underpinned by this goal. That means tackling the causes as well as the symptoms. It means government bringing together employers, experts, sector bodies, trades unions, employees and education institutions to provide advice and leadership.

There are major economic challenges ahead of us. It’s vital that politicians prioritise what really matters to people, and work to make a real difference to people’s lives through practical, progressive and principled politics.

Ian Murray is the Labour MP for Edinburgh South

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