Jeremy Corbyn to accuse Scottish Government of 'passing on Tory austerity'

Jeremy Corbyn - Image credit: Press Association

Jeremy Corbyn will accuse the SNP of "simply passing on Tory austerity" as he tries to turn around Labour's fortunes in Scotland.

In a speech in Glasgow today, the Labour leader will say that the Nationalists "stand up for the establishment" north of the border while acting left-wing at Westminster.

His comments come against a backdrop of gloomy poll ratings in Scotland, where Labour is trailing well behind the SNP and Conservatives.

RELATED CONTENT

New media - now protecting the establishment instead of democracy

Sketch: Meet Jeremy Corbyn mark 2

SNP spends more on Scottish Parliament election campaign than Scottish Tories and Scottish Labour combined

In his speech Corbyn will say: "The SNP government simply passes on Tory austerity and is increasingly failing to govern effectively or fairly.

"Trying to talk left at Westminster when in opposition, whilst acting right in power at Holyrood, is not standing up for Scotland.

"It is not standing up for Scotland failing to tackle the scandalous level of health inequalities here in this great city of Glasgow and across Scotland.

“It is not standing up for Scotland overseeing a growing attainment gap between children from poorer and wealthier backgrounds.

"It is not standing up for Scotland refusing to use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to invest in all of these areas - and many more where the SNP has failed.

"The SNP is not standing up for Scotland. It's standing up for the establishment."

Corbyn will be joined by Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who last summer called on him to resign and backed his leadership rival Owen Smith.

Relations between the pair continue to be strained, with Corbyn last week refusing to endorse her call for a "new Act of Union".

A spokesman for the SNP said: "Jeremy Corbyn's comments are exactly the sort of carping from the sidelines that Kezia Dugdale warned about when she said that Labour would be unelectable under his leadership.

"Labour in Scotland are stuck in a sorry place between completely irrelevant and totally desperate, and today's reunion is set to be a prickly affair.

"Just last week Jeremy Corbyn fatally undermined Kezia Dugdale's plans on the constitution - and the attempts to paper over the cracks with this contrived photo op will fool no one.

"But it's not just internal Labour division that is driving voters away, it's the fact that nobody knows what purpose they serve.

"While the SNP are standing up for Scotland against a Tory hard Brexit, Labour have capitulated to the Tories at Westminster - opening the door to economic catastrophe."