SNP branded 'woefully out of touch' as election manifesto launched

First Minister and Party Leader John Swinney put the push for independence on the first page of the party’s manifesto, which was launched in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The document states: "Vote SNP for Scotland to become an independent country."

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the party was "woefully out of touch" following the launch and accused them of having "no fresh ideas".

READ NEXT: SNP puts Scottish independence at heart of General Election manifesto

She said: “After 17 years of broken promises and decline in government, no-one is buying the SNP’s latest string of half-baked and unserious pledges.

"This is a tired party with no fresh ideas and the wrong priorities – but change is possible.

"This election is our chance to remove the Tories from office and put Scotland’s voice at the heart of government."

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meanwhile accused SNP of only focusing on “constitutional wrangling”.

He said: "Under the Conservatives right now, we’re investing record sums into the NHS and that will continue if we’re re-elected, with NHS spending and investment going up in real terms ahead of inflation every year at the next parliament.

"We’re also hiring more doctors and nurses, and training more for the future, and doing things differently by making sure people can see their pharmacists instead of their GP to get treatments for common ailments.

"All the SNP do is focus on constitutional wrangling. They’re the ones that aren’t focused on what people care about day to day.

"They have already made Scotland the highest tax capital of the UK, and if Labour are elected, they would just do the same, hike up everyone’s taxes, just like the SNP have done.

"A vote for anyone who’s not a Conservative candidate at this election is just a vote for higher taxes. I don’t want to see that happen. That’s not how you deliver financial security."