THE First Minister is set to call for Scotland to unite in the General Election to “defeat every Tory MP in the country” while campaigning in the seat of Scotland Secretary Alister Jack.
Campaigning in Dumfries and Galloway on Monday – a seat the Tories won at the last election by less than 2000 votes – the First Minister will argue that in every seat currently held by the Tories in Scotland, the SNP is the “challenger” and best placed to defeat them.
The Dumfries and Galloway seat is currently held by Jack (below), the outgoing Secretary of State for Scotland, who Swinney said “exemplifies the complete disdain the Westminster establishment feels for the people of Scotland”.
Swinney said: “The Tories have presided over 14 years of chaos. They have given us austerity, Brexit and a cost of living crisis made in Westminster – and this General Election in Scotland’s opportunity to unite and make sure that there is not a single Tory seat left in Scotland.
“In every seat the Tories currently hold, the SNP is the challenger and the only party who can defeat them – that is why I am urging people in Scotland to unite by voting SNP, meaning we cannot just remove the Tories from Downing Street, but kick them out of every seat in Scotland.
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“They have shown disdain for Scotland every step of the way – and none more so than Alister Jack. He has sought to undermine the right to take decisions in Scotland and has been a cheerleader for Tory austerity and Brexit under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
“He exemplifies the complete disdain the Westminster establishment feels for the people of Scotland. This election is Scotland’s chance to ensure that there is not another generation of Alister Jacks sent to Westminster.
“In Scotland, Labour are barely interested in defeating the Tories – they are focussing their energy on attacking the SNP. We are the only party that can defeat every Tory MP and ensure we send MPs to Westminster who will always put Scotland first.
“The Tories have shown nothing but disrespect and contempt for Scotland. They deserve nothing less than to be electorally wiped out – and that is exactly what voting for the SNP can deliver at this General Election.”
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