DESPITE 13 years of Tory austerity cuts, underfunding of public services and a failure to invest in economic growth, Keir Starmer has stated his intentions to continue the Tories’ approach should he become Prime Minister.

In his latest u-turn, Starmer has made clear his intention to continue the two-child benefit cap, which restricts benefits support to the first two children. This is despite Starmer having previously pledged to scrap this policy, which has forced the most vulnerable in society into poverty.

In desperate attempts to appeal to Tory voters, Labour have abandoned plans to commit to free university tuition and no longer support plans to nationalise railways, Royal Mail, energy companies or water firms in England.

The Labour Party do not only intend to copy Tory economic and welfare policy, but Scottish Labour are complicit by their silence as the Tories in London and Edinburgh are actively undermining the authority and powers of the Scottish Parliament.

It does not have to be like this. The SNP Scottish Government is doing everything it can to reduce child poverty. Unique to Scotland is the Scottish Child Payment, where eligible people receive £25 for every child they look after who is under 16. This alone is forecast to lift 50,000 children in Scotland out of poverty this year.

And while the UK is suffering the worst levels of poverty and inequality out of neighbouring countries, small independent nations like Ireland, Belgium or Denmark perform significantly better.

The UK is on the path to long-term decline and millions are struggling with the cost of living – but all the Tories and Labour have to offer is more pain and the same damaging policies that got the UK into this mess. The SNP is the only party offering a genuine alternative. But only with the full powers of independence can Scotland secure sustained economic growth by rejoining the EU, maximising our potential and building a better society.