NICOLA Sturgeon will today put pledges on austerity, Brexit and Scotland’s future at the heart of the SNP’s manifesto launch.
Addressing activists in Perth, the First Minister will say a vote for SNP MPs will give Scotland a strong voice to resists Tory cuts, strengthen Scotland’s hand in Brexit negotiations, and “protect Scotland’s right to make its own decisions”.
Despite a recent narrowing in the polls, she will says the Tories “are still on course to win the election” and only her party offers protection against deeper cuts.
She said: “If the SNP wins this election, it will strengthen the country’s hand when it comes to opposing cuts, defending our place in Europe, and on choosing our future as a nation.”
However the pledge on Brexit appears to have been watered down since mid-May, when Ms Sturgeon said a vote for the SNP would force the UK to include the Scottish Government “at the Brexit negotiating table and make the case for Scotland's place in the single market”.
Theresa May swiftly rejected the idea and Ms Sturgeon’s now says a vote for the SNP will ensure Scotland is “heard at the top table”.
The Tories and Labour will use the launch to turn the spotlight on the SNP’s record.
Tory leader Ruth Davidson will publish plans to improve school standards and “reset” the Curriculum for Excellence, demanding Ms Sturgeon focus on “education, not separation”.
She said: “As long as the SNP bans on about independence, our schools will suffer.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale will also publish a dossier highlighting what she called the SNP’s “decade of failure” and accuse the party of trying to mislead voters at the election.
“After ten years of the Nationalists obsessively campaigning for independence, Scotland's schools and hospitals have suffered under the SNP,” she said.
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