The Holyrood election campaign is entering its final weekend before voting day on Thursday, with First Minister John Swinney stating that voters are responding to the SNP's "positive message of hope." Swinney will take the party's campaign to Glasgow and Edinburgh on Saturday, pledging to work "ever harder" to secure votes.
Cost of Living Key Issue
Amid the US-Israeli offensive in Iran, the cost of living remains a key concern for voters. Swinney has committed his party to seeking lower bills, with the SNP manifesto pledging to cap bus fares at £2 and implement a price ceiling on essential food items in large supermarkets. However, the food price cap plans have faced criticism from the industry and could encounter significant legal challenges.
Swinney's Campaign Message
Speaking ahead of the final weekend, Swinney said: "Throughout this campaign, the SNP has taken our positive, ambitious message to the people of Scotland about how we will improve the NHS, support people with the cost of living, and deliver the fresh start of independence. It is clear that people are responding to that positive message of hope – but between now and polling day, the SNP will be working ever harder to earn and re-earn people's trust."
He added: "As First Minister, I want to take action to support people – reducing the cost of your daily commute, capping the cost of essential foods in supermarkets, and bringing down electricity bills with the fresh start of independence. The SNP wants to lower your bills, and the other parties are trying to stop us. They want people to vote for an opposition to stop things happening, I am asking people to vote for an SNP government to get things done."
Swinney concluded: "The best way to ensure we can deliver is by electing a majority SNP government – one that supports people with the cost of living, locks out Nigel Farage and delivers the fresh start of independence."
Opposition Responses
Scottish Lib Dem deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain criticised the SNP's record, stating: "To hear a party that's been in government for 19 years promise Scotland a 'fresh start' is downright surreal. I'm not sure who John Swinney expects to believe him. If the SNP were serious about bringing down the cost of living, they might have a better record to run on. Instead, they've proposed a baffling food price cap policy that wouldn't be in the Scottish Parliament's power to deliver, and which they've had to rework almost daily since they announced it because it doesn't stand up to the barest of scrutiny. The SNP's record on the economy is one of overpromising, underdelivering, and shifting the blame. A third decade of that will do Scotland no good."
Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: "If John Swinney really cared about the cost-of-living crisis, he would not have saddled hard-pressed Scots with the highest taxes in the UK. Everyone knows that his Soviet-style food price cap is an unworkable gimmick designed to create a spat with the UK Government. Households across Scotland are desperate for some respite from constantly rising bills under the SNP. That's why the Scottish Conservatives would cut income tax for all by reining in out-of-control welfare spending."
