'Glasgow needs MPs that will be influencing the Government'

Having the opportunity to serve this magnificent city in both of our Parliaments has been the greatest honour of my life, but it has been an experience tempered by frustration at being stuck in opposition, rather than having the opportunity to serve Glasgow in government.

So, when the Prime Minister finally called the election on that dreich afternoon last month, I heaved a sigh of relief – like many Glaswegians – as the opportunity to kick this rotten Tory government out of Downing Street had finally arrived.

For 14 long years, the Tories have neglected Glasgow, as they always have when in power.

They have driven down our living standards – plunging thousands of our neighbours into poverty and deprivation. While Glaswegians played by the rules and made immense sacrifices to stop the spread of the Covid-19, they were partying in Downing Street.

When I entered the House of Commons in June 2017, I was the only Labour MP representing Glasgow, and it quickly became apparent to me that the six SNP MPs for Glasgow were more interested in shouting from the side-lines at the expense of almost everything else.

Under their watch, Glasgow has been devoid of dynamic leadership at Westminster working to improve things in the city and to advocate for its interests. Just take Brexit as one example, the biggest issue facing the last Parliament. While I voted for the UK to stay in the Customs Union, Glasgow’s SNP MPs abstained, meaning it fell short by only three votes. Despite all the pro-European rhetoric, when it really mattered, they were missing in action and Glaswegians have paid a high price for their grandstanding.

Glasgow needs MPs that will be influencing the government from within, taking their concerns to the heart of Whitehall – not protesting and pontificating.

Across Glasgow, in all six constituencies, people have the chance to elect real champions for their city on July 4.

In Glasgow South West, Dr Zubir Ahmed will make a tremendous Member of Parliament – the son of a taxi driver who defied all the odds to be the first in his family to go to university and become a transplant surgeon.

Maureen Burke in Glasgow North East has lived in the constituency her whole life and has represented it as an Easterhouse councillor for over a decade – she will be a true working-class champion for Glaswegians, from working as a packer in a tie factory to representing our city in the House of Commons.

From day one in Parliament, both will be working to deliver Labour’s policies that will reverse the economic decline that the Tories have presided over and unleash the economic potential of our country.

Too many Glaswegians are struggling to get by, living pay slip to pay slip. A Labour government will deliver a New Deal for Working People that will ensure a genuine living wage and ban exploitative zero-hour contracts.

A Labour government will also give many more people the opportunity to have their own home.

Renting or buying a property is increasingly unaffordable as rents and house prices rise far above flatlining average wages, with average rents in Glasgow alone rising over 50% since 2010.

Labour will emulate the legacy of the first Labour government of 1924 by massively increasing housing supply, with the mission of building 1.5 million new homes across the country within five years.

The decline of our country under the Tories over the last 14 years has been appalling but Glaswegians can do more than just send a message to Westminster on July 4; if you vote Labour we can send a government, with Glasgow MPs that will be back in the service of working people again.