THE Tories are finished. Everyone knows it.

The big question is: will the new UK Government make any difference? On tax, Brexit, spending plans, nuclear weapons, Gaza and so much else, the two big parties are saying pretty much the same thing. So it doesn’t look good. The answer is they’ll only make a difference if forced to.

That’s why I want to be in the new Parliament.

I want to make clear to the new Parliament that the Tory spending plans won’t work, regardless of who is delivering them. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies tells us these spending plans, which Labour are also committed to, mean massive cuts in public services. The analysis shows Labour will carry out £18 billion in additional spending cuts. That means reducing budgets that are already overstretched. It means making it even harder for our NHS to deliver the health services people need.

It will also mean more than £1.5 billion cut in the Scottish block grant, creating a new financial nightmare for our public services here.

Instead, we need more funding for our NHS and we need to abandon talk of privatising it. That’s why SNP MPs will propose a new law to stop it. A UK drive to privatising NHS services would have an appalling impact on your local services and I’m determined to show a new government to think differently, keeping services run for public good and not private profit.

We also need Labour to get serious about the transition to renewable energy. This cannot be left to the private sector. We need government funding to make sure thousands of families are not thrown on the scrap heap as oil and gas decline and renewable energy expands further. We need a government that puts its money where its mouth is; it’s simply non-negotiable to deliver a sustainable future for all of us.

Keir Starmer is so far ahead in England he is certain to win this election. He does not need Scotland’s votes to get into 10 Downing Street. But Scotland needs independent voices in the new Parliament to fight for you and to make sure we are not ignored.

The cosy Westminster consensus on Brexit continues to damage our businesses and make life hard for many in our communities. The SNP is the only party offering a different view, where we recognise the importance of attracting people to live in Scotland to work in social care, our NHS and many other parts of the economy; we need skilled people to enrich our lives and our city.

The SNP only answers to the people of Scotland, no one else. We’ll demand that your voice is heard. And we will fight for your right to choose Scotland’s future as an independent country in the European Union, a choice Tory and Labour would deny.

That is the choice in this election: real change or more of the same.

That’s why I’m asking for your vote on July 4.

Tommy Sheppard biography - I live in East Lothian outside Musselburgh with my partner Kate and my dogs Hector and Alfie. Before entering politics, I started The Stand Comedy Club, running it as a successful business. I’ve been the SNP MP for Edinburgh East since 2015 and I’m delighted to be the SNP candidate for the new constituency of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh. I’ve fought Tory policies which have been causing misery and hardship. As vice-chair of the UK Parliament climate group, I’ve led the call for stronger action on net zero. I’ve also championed equality and human rights across the world and worked for Palestinians rights, leading calls to stop the war in Gaza. I left the Labour Party after 20 years when they moved significantly to the right under Tony Blair. I campaigned for Scotland’s independence in 2014 and I continue to argue for Scotland’s future as an independent nation in Europe.