Katy Loudon: Unionist parties ignoring Brexit 'won't fly with voters'

The South Lanarkshire councillor blasted both Labour and the Tories refusal to address the impact of Brexit on the economy, which has left households in the area struggling to pay their bills.

Loudon, who is fighting for the Westminster seat for the SNP, told The National that Brexit is “very much a live issue” on the campaign trail.

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Speaking in Cambuslang, Loudon also criticised Labour’s “empty message about change” and said the number of U-turns the party have made in recent months are cutting through on the doorstep.

David Linden, SNP MP for Glasgow East and the party’s work and pensions spokesperson, joined Loudon on the campaign trail and said Labour were “unable to confront the fact that Brexit is an act of economic self harm”.

We told how Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (below) completely ignored the impact of Brexit at the launch of his party’s economic strategy and in the 22-page policy paper titled ‘Grasping the Thistle’.

Keir Starmer said Labour would embrace Brexit and the “take back control” message of the Leave campaign during his new year speech and has been criticised for not taking on board the impact on voters.

Asked by The National for her views on both parties ignoring the impact of leaving the EU on households, Loudon said: “It's not going to fly with voters, it's still very much a live issue.

"Either because that's sitting in the background because we know about the effect that Brexit is continuing to have on the economy, and the real change and the real problems that's causing for people with their bank balance, with their mortgage rates being an absolute prime example of that.

“People will speak to us directly about Brexit as well because they realise the effects that that's having on absolutely all of the bills that are coming through their door.

“Whether they're talking about car insurance, whether they're talking about their fuel bills, people are now starting to have one eye to the winter as well, and thinking about when you'll be able to afford to switch on the heating.”

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Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the party was dropping its commitment to a wealth tax and raising the higher rate of income tax if they come to power in Westminster.

The repeated U-turns from the party, Loudon said, are coming up on the campaign trail.

“People that say that they've had somebody from Labour chapping their doors, two or three times, and just giving them this really empty message about change and that is the message which they are still pushing just now,” she said.

“But what that actually means in reality is it’s yet another U-turn to add to the long list.

“Whether we're talking about tuition fees, or we're talking about the two-child car or the rape clause, it’s yet another thing to add to the list rule, like rolling back on workers rights and so on. So people are noticing that, they're noticing that when Labour actually come out to speak to them, it's yet another broken promise.”

Loudon added that when it came to the local council elections the local Labour party promised voters they would get £1000 if they came into power in South Lanarkshire, but instead, council tax has been hiked, issues have emerged with school buses and sports club fees have been raised by 114%.

“Labour have shown if they do have a little bit of power in this area, what they will do with it,” she added.

It comes as the Labour party group in South Lanarkshire was blasted as "poisonous" by one of its own councillors. 

Meanwhile, Linden said Loudon “hit the nail on the head” regarding Labour’s claims of being the party of change.

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He said: “The problem is what voters are hearing in Rutherglen Hamilton West from Sir Keir Starmer’s pro-Brexit Labour Party is no fresh start when it comes to the two-child policy, no fresh start when it comes to Brexit, no fresh start when it comes to the bedroom tax as well.

“The other thing as well as that Labour appears, because they're trying to ride too many horses, unable to confront the fact that Brexit is an act of economic self-harm for which people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West are paying a huge price.

“That's not the SNP saying that, that's Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, who has said that Brexit is one of the key drivers of inflation, that is incredibly out of control and is leading to people having to make utterly unedifying choices about their family budgets.”