SNP MPs could be heard laughing in the House of Commons after Labour’s Ian Murray raised the “random constituency” of Rutherglen and Hamilton West during Scottish questions.
The shadow Scottish secretary’s attempt to raise the hotly contested by-election seat did not go unnoticed by SNP MPs as he slipped it in during a question regarding the Tory handling of the economy.
John Lamont, Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk Tory MP and parliamentary under secretary for the Scotland Office, claimed that the economic challenges faced by the UK were due to the war in Ukraine and Covid pandemic during the exchange.
“Ukraine or Covid didn't crash the economy, this government did,” Murray, Scottish Labour's only MP for Edinburgh South, said.
“And the truth is after 13 years, we have a low-wage, low-growth economy.
“Let me take the example of residents in a random Scottish constituency Rutherglen and Hamilton West…”
SNP MPs could be heard laughing in the background at Murray coincidentally raising the seat where a Westminster by-election is being contested, with the ballot date set for October 5.
Murray (above) continued: “Every door we knock on the story is the same, the cost of living. Those voters are paying the price for two bad governments.
“The Government who crashed the economy are asking working people to pay for it, and the Scottish Government who mismanaged the economy are also asking working people to pay for it.
“There is a Tory premium on everyone's mortgages and rents alongside the highest tax burden on working people in 80 years, and the SNP wants to increase income taxes further proposing a watering council tax rates on those residents.
“So don’t the residents of Rutherglen and Hamilton West deserve a fresh start with Scottish Labour's Michael Shanks?”
MPs could again be heard laughing and jeering as Murray finished his question.
The Scottish Labour MP also neglected to point out that South Lanarkshire council, where the constituency is located, is a Labour administration. The Labour-led council were the ones to raise council tax by 5.5% in 2023-24.
In response, Lamont (above) said: “It was not so long ago that Scottish Labour were calling for even higher taxes on the people of Scotland.
“When he stood for the Labour party leadership, Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, even said, and I quote, I actually think our tax policies will be even more progressive and radical than even John MacDonald’s or Jeremy Corbyn’s tax policies in their manifestos.
“Mr Sarwar has U-turned now of course, but maybe the member can explain how much Scottish Labour secretly wants to put up the taxes in Scotland?”
Murray did not respond as the Speaker called the next question from SNP MP Patrick Grady.
