SNP in Rutherglen for by-election
SNP police probe ‘not an ideal situation’, says party’s by-election candidate
However, Katy Loudon said the issue is not what people are talking about on the doorstep
The SNP candidate in a crucial by-election has admitted the ongoing police probe into the party’s finances is “not an ideal situation”.
However, Katy Loudon insisted the issue is not what people are talking about on the doorstep.
The by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West was triggered after 11,896 voters in the constituency signed a recall petition to oust the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier, who was suspended from the House of Commons for breaking Covid rules.
It will be fiercely contested by the SNP and Labour, with both formally launching their campaigns on Wednesday.
At an event in Rutherglen, Ms Loudon, who is a local councillor, was asked how she responds when people ask about the police investigation on the doorstep.
She said: “It’s not an ideal situation, of course it’s not, and I don’t think there’s any point in saying otherwise. I do have to say, genuinely, when we have been out chapping doors and speaking to people – which I do all the time anyway, in my role as a councillor – that is not what people are talking about just now.
"People are deeply concerned about the cost-of-living crisis. I see that in my case workload that’s coming in, as well as going out and speaking to people. That’s what people are concerned about just now, and that’s going to be our major issue and our drive in this campaign, is looking at how we can support local people.
"And we do that by giving them a clear choice between the policies which [Sir Keir] Starmer’s Labour are offering, and the policies which we’re offering. I’m proud of the record I’m standing on and the actions we’ve taken, not only at a national level to tackle child poverty, but the actions that my group have taken in council as well.”
Police Scotland has been investigating the SNP’s finances since 2021. The probe recently saw the arrest of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was released without charge.
Elsewhere, Michael Shanks, the Scottish Labour candidate, said there are “differences of opinion” between the party in Scotland and Sir Keir over gender reform and the two-child benefit cap. However, he said this demonstrated the “maturity of devolution”.
However, Katy Loudon said the issue is not what people are talking about on the doorstep
The SNP candidate in a crucial by-election has admitted the ongoing police probe into the party’s finances is “not an ideal situation”.
However, Katy Loudon insisted the issue is not what people are talking about on the doorstep.
The by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West was triggered after 11,896 voters in the constituency signed a recall petition to oust the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier, who was suspended from the House of Commons for breaking Covid rules.
It will be fiercely contested by the SNP and Labour, with both formally launching their campaigns on Wednesday.
At an event in Rutherglen, Ms Loudon, who is a local councillor, was asked how she responds when people ask about the police investigation on the doorstep.
She said: “It’s not an ideal situation, of course it’s not, and I don’t think there’s any point in saying otherwise. I do have to say, genuinely, when we have been out chapping doors and speaking to people – which I do all the time anyway, in my role as a councillor – that is not what people are talking about just now.
"People are deeply concerned about the cost-of-living crisis. I see that in my case workload that’s coming in, as well as going out and speaking to people. That’s what people are concerned about just now, and that’s going to be our major issue and our drive in this campaign, is looking at how we can support local people.
"And we do that by giving them a clear choice between the policies which [Sir Keir] Starmer’s Labour are offering, and the policies which we’re offering. I’m proud of the record I’m standing on and the actions we’ve taken, not only at a national level to tackle child poverty, but the actions that my group have taken in council as well.”
Police Scotland has been investigating the SNP’s finances since 2021. The probe recently saw the arrest of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was released without charge.
Elsewhere, Michael Shanks, the Scottish Labour candidate, said there are “differences of opinion” between the party in Scotland and Sir Keir over gender reform and the two-child benefit cap. However, he said this demonstrated the “maturity of devolution”.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:16 People can either decide to send a Labour MP who is part of Keir Starmer's party, will
00:22 do as Keir Starmer says, that is back the two-child limit, back the bedroom tax, or
00:28 they can have an SNP MP, and I hope in the not too distant future to have a vote on Scottish
00:35 independence so we can not just mitigate the cruel Tory policies but scrap them altogether.
00:40 And that's the message we'll be taking. Independence is needed now more than ever before because
00:44 you now don't just have a Tory party that's inflicting harm but in Keir Starmer, a prospective
00:50 Prime Minister who's saying he would keep many of those same cruel policies in place.
00:55 So independence is the only escape from those cruel policies plunging tens of thousands
01:00 of children into poverty.
01:01 But I've been knocking the doorsteps, first of all it's been that incredible rise in fees
01:07 for community facilities like leisure centres, that's come up time and time again. It was
01:11 in Blantyre Soccer Academy wasn't it when we were there, just how often that came up
01:16 in that particular area. So we'll certainly be holding the local council to account as
01:20 well. Katie of course, being the council, will be well versed in terms of the actions
01:26 the local SNP group has taken to stand up against some of those local issues.
01:30 A disgraceful decision. We were talking about grass roots sports clubs, football got a lot
01:36 of attention but of course we're talking about opportunities, lots of opportunities for young
01:39 people, dance groups, swimming pools and so on. They were facing 114% rises with very
01:45 little warning. The consultation that they were promised by the Labour administration
01:49 was a sham. I don't think I've ever, being a councillor, had so many emails and bits
01:54 of correspondence about a single issue before. It was an absolute disgrace and it continues
01:59 to be something that's very painful for these local groups and it's something that we're
02:04 tremendously worried about, that these grass roots clubs that provide so much value to
02:09 young people and families in this area, especially in the course of the living crisis as well,
02:12 where families are already struggling.
02:14 As I've said, many of us, before knowing what Margaret had done, we had campaigned alongside
02:20 her and as you say, she had worked for the party, worked hard for the party, there's
02:26 no denying that. But Margaret has been reckless in her actions and that, I'm afraid, is not
02:33 forgivable.
02:34 Katie, when people ask you on a doorstep about the police investigation of the SNP, what
02:39 do you tell them? Are you concerned that it's hanging over your campaign?
02:43 It's not an ideal situation, of course it's not, and I don't think there's any point in
02:47 saying otherwise. I do have to say, genuinely, I have been out chapping doors and speaking
02:53 to people, I do all the time anyway, in my role as councillor, that is not what people
02:57 are talking about just now. People are deeply concerned about the cost of living crisis,
03:01 I see that in my case workload that's coming in as well as going out speaking to people,
03:06 that's what people are concerned about just now and that's going to be our major issue
03:10 in our drive in this campaign, is looking at how we can support local people. And we
03:14 do that by giving them a clear choice between the policies which Starners Labour are offering
03:20 and the policies which we are offering. I'm proud of the record that I'm standing on and
03:25 the actions we've taken, not only at national level to tackle child poverty, but the actions
03:29 that my group have taken in council as well, with policies which are meaningful to families
03:33 and meaningful to people.
03:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]