On the cusp of both Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, Scots were braced for which direction Labour’s latest Budget would take.
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Budget → brace → direction
It actually had more in common with Bonfire Night – but one in which the much-anticipated fireworks turn out to be damp squibs.
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fireworks → have → which
Many people will have seen the headlines and rightly asked ‘is that it?’.
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that → see → headlines
After two years of painful tax hikes on struggling households and businesses, Andy Burnham had an opportunity to clear up the mess made by Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer.
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Burnham → struggle → Reeves
Instead, Burnham bottled it.
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Burnham → bottle → it
He failed to make the tough and necessary decisions to grow the economy, get Britain working again and to get a grip on his out-of-control benefits bill.
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Britain → fail → bill
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has hit out at Labour's Budget
Social security spending is now projected to hit an eye-watering £431billion by 2031-32.
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spending → hit → 2031
That is unsustainable, unaffordable and unfair on hard-pressed taxpayers.
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That → press → taxpayers
It’s even worse in SNP-run Scotland where John Swinney’s presides over a ‘light touch’ devolved benefits system.
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It → ’ → system
Swinney has no issue with the sky-high and soaring cost to taxpayers.
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Swinney → have → taxpayers
His deputy Jenny Gilruth doesn’t accept welfare spending in Scotland is too high.
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spending → accept → Scotland
Those at the top of Scotland’s two Left-wing governments are too afraid to fight those within their own party.
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Those → fight → party
They simply couldn’t care less about the pain they inflict on hard-grafting taxpayers.
But our economy will continue to stagnate if strivers keep getting screwed – with Scots of course paying the most in the UK.
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Scots → care → UK
Earlier this month, my party unveiled our plan for a Benefit Fraud Bill at Holyrood to restore dignity, fairness and respect to the benefits system.
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party → unveil → system
We’re standing up for those who go out each day to work hard for their families, only to be punished by Labour and the SNP.
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who → stand → Labour
And it’s not just on welfare that the Chancellor failed to use some common sense.
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Chancellor → ’ → sense
After Labour finally approved Jackdaw gas field last week, there was a flicker of optimism that would end their harmful hostility towards the oil and gas sector.
But yesterday’s Budget made no mention of the Rosebank oil field, which would deliver jobs and economic growth.
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which → approve → jobs
And the energy profits levy, which Labour have already extended, remains in place and is set to do so until September 2029.
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Labour → extend → September
That is devastating news for oil and gas workers in an industry where 1,000 jobs are already being lost each month.
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jobs → lose → industry
Combined with Labour’s ban on new licences and the SNP’s presumption against oil and gas projects, one of Scotland’s key industries is being annihilated in real-time.
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one → combine → time
Voters in Aberdeen South sent a clear message to both Labour and the SNP.
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Voters → send → Labour
But they don’t seem willing to listen.
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they → seem → ?
Approval of new drilling should not begin and end with Jackdaw.
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Approval → begin → Jackdaw
We should maximise our own resources in the North Sea to protect our energy security – not increase our reliance on dirty and expensive foreign imports.
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We → maximise → imports
Labour’s chancellor wasn’t done there when it came to hammering crucial Scottish industries.
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it → do → industries
Findlay highlighted the strain the oil and gas industry is still under
He ignored warnings from the whisky industry and decided to hit them with yet another tax hike.
The total tax burden now on the average bottle of Scotch is now an astonishing 74 per cent.
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burden → highlight → Scotch
Burnham’s Budget should have left the sector raising a timely dram.
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Budget → leave → dram
Instead, he’s left them with a monster hangover.
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he → leave → hangover
Labour can no longer crow about lobbying President Trump to remove US tariffs then hit them with yet another tax rise.
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Labour → crow → rise
There was a glimmer of good news when Healey confirmed the fuel duty freeze remains in place with planned rises kicked down the road.
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freeze → be → road
Motorists are being hammered every time they fill up at the pumps due to the war in Iran and the pain won’t ease anytime soon.
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pain → hammer → Iran
And as for the SNP, I’m in no doubt that this Budget will never be enough for them.
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Budget → ’m → them
They will mine for grievances, whether real or manufactured.
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They → mine → grievances
But they will get consequential funding from some of Labour’s decisions, including on energy bill support and business rate relief.
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they → get → support
With households and businesses struggling, this isn’t the time for the SNP to play political games or squander yet more taxpayers’ money on their obsessions and niche interests.
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SNP → struggle → obsessions
While Healey delivered a faulty firework of a Budget, next up is the SNP government’s Scottish Budget.
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Budget → deliver → Budget
There’s a real chance that Scots could suffer a Nightmare Before Christmas.
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Scots → ’ → Christmas
Swinney and Gilruth need to bring down people’s bills.
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Swinney → need → bills
They need to be honest about the unaffordable state benefits bill.
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They → need → bill
And they need to realise that growing Scotland’s economy is the only way to generate prosperity.
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growing → need → prosperity
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
