LABOUR HITS SCOTLAND WITH CUTS DOUBLE WHAMMY

LABOUR HITS SCOTLAND WITH CUTS DOUBLE WHAMMY

NI INCREASE TO COST FIRE AND POLICE SERVICE £10M

KENNY MACASKILL HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN EAST LOTHIAN

SNP candidate for East Lothian, Andrew Sharp, was joined by SNP MSP for
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill on
the campaign trail today (Thursday).

Mr Sharp and Mr MacAskill met with visitors at the Hollies Day Centre on
Musselburgh High Street as they highlighted how Labour plans to increase
National Insurance would cost Scotland's Police and Fire services £10
million a year. This equates to the wages of 275 police officers.

The SNP is fighting against Labour's "double whammy" of cuts that Alistair
Darling has said will be "deeper and tougher" than Margaret Thatcher's, and
the party's local and national champions will help protect Scotland from
those cuts.

In stark contrast, the East Lothian Labour Party have been embroiled in
political infighting and bickering which eventually led to the deselection
of sitting MP Anne Moffat.

Commenting, Kenny MacAskill, who has already delivered the SNP's manifesto
pledge of 1,000 extra police officers, said:

“Both Labour and the Tories – the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of London
politics – are threatening massive cuts to the Scottish budget.

“The Tories are planning a special cut for Scotland despite being funded
by Scottish resources while Labour are going for a double whammy, hitting
Scotland with a £400m real term budget cut and a National Insurance policy
which will hit front line services.

“Across Scotland, police and fire services will be forced to find an extra
£10m just to pay the wages.

“Scotland needs champions more than ever before to stand up to the cuts
agenda of the London parties.”

SNP East Lothian candidate Andrew Sharp added:

“Labour have let East Lothian down both at a national level by allowing
these devastating cuts and at a local level with their petty infighting.

“These cuts are not hypotheticals but a huge threat to facilities such as
the day centre we are visiting today and racheting up the National
Insurance places a huge burden on vital front line services.

"The £10 million-plus cost of Labour's National Insurance hike also
equates to the annual running costs of the Scotland Office, which is
neither use nor ornament to the people of Scotland.

"Scotland needs champions now more than ever to make sure the services
people rely on are protected and obscene vanity projects such as the
£100bn Trident replacement and the pointless Scotland Office is scrapped
instead."