Salmond calls on Starmer to follow Scotland’s lead and scrap the bedroom tax
Alba Party leader Alex Salmond has called on Keir Starmer to commit to scrapping the bedroom tax.
Alba say that such a move would instantly free up over £70 Million of cash for the Scottish Government to redirect to Cost of Living support measures.
The Scottish Government have made £83.7m available to local authorities to spend on Discretionary Housing Payments this year, including £69.7m to mitigate the bedroom tax.
When Alex Salmond was First Minister he faced down Westminster by funding the full mitigation of the bedroom tax in Scotland via the increased discretionary housing payments. The move forced the then UK Government into changing the law so that they didn’t have to take Salmond’s Scottish Government to Court over the policy.
Mr Salmond, now leader of the pro independence Alba Party, has now called on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to scrap the hated bedroom tax policy. This means funds the Scottish Government spends to mitigate the Tory Welfare policy could instead be diverted to providing “targeted action” to help ease the cost of living crisis.
Starmer, who was elected Labour leader on a manifesto that pledged to scrap the Bedroom Tax, has since confirmed that a Labour Government would keep the Tory policy in place.
Commenting former First Minister and Alba Party leader Alex Salmond said;
“Since 2014, people across Scotland have not had to pay the Westminster Bedroom Tax because the Government I led acted to protect them from one of the most callous of the Tory Welfare changes.
“It seems inconceivable that a Labour Government - a Labour Government - would keep such an abhorrent Tory policy in place whilst pretending that they are on the side of some of the least well off people in our society. However, that is exactly what Labour intend to do unless Starmer is forced to change tack.
“Every year Scotland has to mitigate policies like the Bedroom Tax, we miss out on the opportunity to instead invest in our communities.
“Sir Keir Starmer should go back to the drawing board and think again. He must commit to immediately scrapping the Bedroom Tax. This would free up some £70 Million which the Scottish Government could then directly target at measures to ease the cost of living crisis."
