Scots tempted to vote for independence because “things can’t get any worse” have been warned “things can indeed get worse” by a senior Labour MP.
Jim Murphy, former Labour Scottish Secretary and Europe Minister, contrasted Tony Blair’s winning “things can only get better” election slogan with the higher mortgage prices, higher shopping bills, job losses, flight of industry, oil shocks and financial upheaval which he claimed would follow a Yes vote.
Scots eager for change have been urged to vote No in order to gain “further devolved change as part of the UK” rather than the “undisputed disruptive change” of independence.
In his first major referendum speech in Glasgow yesterday, Mr Murphy said independence could lead to an extra £1,600 on the average mortgage, £160 on the average credit card bill and £359 on the average annual shopping bill, based on recent projections.
The Scottish economy contains all of the ingredients that have caused disruptive shocks over the past 40 years without the “broader shoulders of the UK”, he said. Mr Murphy suggested devolution of tax, wages and welfare powers could feature in Labour’s offering today.
Scottish Youth Employment Minister Angela Constance said: “This is a deeply hypocritical speech from someone who failed to show up when the SNP tried to stop the Tories abolishing the 50p tax rate, whose party abolished the 10p tax rate and who is part of a campaign almost entirely funded by Tory business figures.”
SNP MSP Bob Doris said Mr Murphy’s speech was “designed solely to cause panic and alarm” adding: “People will not be fooled by this deeply cynical intervention. Scotland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but under the Westminster system we are one of the most unequal societies in the OECD.
“Today a report from Oxfam has found that the UK’s top five families hold more wealth between them than the poorest 20% of the population. That Jim Murphy thinks this reality is acceptable says so much about his ambitions for this country.”
Mr Murphy said only those who “fear the truth” would consider his speech negative. He has been “scunnered” by the SNP promising his constituents that everybody will be better off “when the opposite is the case”, he said.
Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said: “The poorest people in our society are the ones who know best about Westminster’s inability to tackle poverty. In fact, they’re well aware that it is Westminster’s austerity agenda that is condemning more families in Scotland to life below the poverty line, a reason why more and more Scots are turning to Yes.
“It is the poorest in our society who have the most to lose from a No vote.”