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Scottish Lib Dems’ to make ‘positive offer’

Scottish Liberal Democrats leaders Willie Rennie.
Scottish Liberal Democrats leaders Willie Rennie.

Willie Rennie will highlight his party’s plans to build a stronger economy and a fairer society when he launches the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ manifesto today.

The Scottish Lib Dem leader will say his party has a “positive offer” to create a decade of opportunity for all when he unveils the document in Edinburgh later.

He is expected to highlight Lib Dem plans for around £800 million a year of extra health spending, as well as proposals to create more jobs and deliver additional powers to the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking before the event, he said: “In just five years we have got the economy back on track and done so fairly. We are now closer to our ambition of creating opportunity for everyone. But with wins for the Liberal Democrats in this election we can make it a decade of opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Jim Murphy will warn that the choice facing Scotland is to rebuild the NHS with Labour, or re-run the independence referendum with the SNP.

The Scottish Labour leader was speaking ahead of addressing a street rally in Glasgow, where he will also claim that SNP plans for full fiscal autonomy would mean the end of the Barnett formula and £40.5 billion of cuts by the end of the decade.

Mr Murphy said: “Scotland needs to rebuild our NHS, not re-run the referendum. The SNP promised to rule out a referendum for a generation and they’ve reneged on that pledge. Labour has pledged to invest in the NHS and we will keep that promise.

“Under the SNP we have seen a crisis in our A&E wards.”

He went on: “Supporting our NHS should be our national priority, not a second referendum and the years of debate and division that would mean.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will address the STUC annual congress in Ayr, where she will argue that a strong team of SNP MPs elected to Westminster will always stand up for Scotland’s workers.

It comes after she launched the SNP election manifesto yesterday with a commitment to increase the minimum wage to £8.70 by 2020.

She said: “Hard working people have been let down by Westminster – with the cost of living rising as the harsh cuts agenda takes its toll.

“We need a new, progressive approach to tackle inequality, boosting pay for our lowest paid workers and helping close the gap between rich and poor.”

She went on: “A strong team of SNP MPs will be a force for progressive change at Westminster, building alliances with others of like mind across the UK. In doing so, we will ensure that the voices of our hardest working and lowest paid people are heard more loudly than they ever have been before at Westminster.”

Later today, Ms Sturgeon’s former boss, Alex Salmond, will be awarded an honorary degree by Glasgow University in recognition of his contribution to public life.