Scottish independence would lead to a race to the bottom on wages and threaten the future of the Rosyth dockyard, former prime minister Gordon Brown has claimed.
The SNP have indicated that they would cut corporation tax to invite businesses to Scotland but Mr Brown insisted they would also be open to cutting the minimum wage at the behest of businesses.
Speaking at a campaign launch for Labour Cowdenbeath by-election candidate Alex Rowley, he urged the people of Fife and Scotland to “think carefully” before casting their vote in the referendum.
“We know that the future of Rosyth depends not only on having a Labour administration in Fife, but having us as part of the UK,” he said.
“A defence centre, a nuclear centre, a renewables centre for the future.
“Fife was shaped by the mining industry, which used to have 30,000 miners, and by the Rosyth naval base and dockyard where there used be 15,000 people working but now only 1,000 people.
“We need to ensure that Rosyth has a future because Rosyth is the biggest employer in this constituency.
“It is in the defence work building the aircraft carriers, a contract awarded during the last Labour government.
“It is now in the move into nuclear and renewables, and we must support the staff.
“One of the main reasons why people in this constituency want Scotland to be part of the UK is that they know the importance to Rosyth of jobs for defence contracts throughout the whole of the UK.”
Mr Brown, who also served as chancellor in Tony Blair’s government, said a separate minimum wage in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales would lead to a “race to the bottom”.
He added: “Employers will say: ‘We will come to Scotland if you reduce the minimum wage, or we will go to England or Wales if they cut the minimum wage’.
“So, instead of improving and sharing resources to the benefit of all people, we will end up with a race to the bottom, a dog-eat-dog competition, a devalued euro, and then all the benefits that have been built up over time will be lost.
“You don’t need to look into a crystal ball to see this.
“The SNP has already announced that they wish to cut corporation tax, that they wish to compete with Ireland on corporation tax to lower the revenues that they receive.
“We don’t know what effect this will have on business but we do know that there will be less money available for pensions, public services, education and health.”
Mr Rowley has served as an election agent for Mr Brown, who is MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
The election is being held following the death of Labour MSP Helen Eadie, who died in November last year just days after it emerged she was being treated for cancer.
Seven candidates are contesting the by-election, including the SNP’s Natalie McGarry, a policy adviser working in the voluntary sector, local councillor Dave Dempsey, who is standing as the Conservative candidate, and IT worker Jade Holden, who has been selected for the Liberal Democrats.
Both the SNP and the Conservatives are expected to officially launch their campaigns on Friday.
Our political editor Kieran Andrews was at the launch. See more in Thursday’s Courier or try our digital edition.