Kirsty McNeill MP: Delivering change for Midlothian
Tuesday November 5th 2024
This View has been written by Kirsty McNeill, MP for Midlothian.
Dear Midlothian,
Five months ago, just as the election we so desperately needed was finally called, I wrote to every one of you promising change. I said that whilst we won’t be able to deliver everything you want, a Labour Government would have Scotland at its beating heart. That’s a promise kept. We have:
Delivered the largest funding settlement for Scotland in the history of devolution in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Labour Budget;
Introduced the Employment Rights Bill, ushering in the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation by scrapping exploitative zero hours contracts, ending fire and rehire and delivering a pay rise to 200,000 of the lowest-paid Scots, including more than 5% of workers in Midlothian;
Ended the injustice of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, returning over a billion pounds to former coal miners, including nearly 1,000 mineworkers in Midlothian;
Created GB Energy, a publicly owned company headquartered in Aberdeen, bringing investment, jobs and growth to Scotland; and
Committed £1.4 billion for local Scottish growth projects.
Thanks to Labour’s progressive budget, the Scottish Government will receive an additional £1.5 billion this year and £3.4 billion next year, money they can choose to spend on our NHS, schools and public transport.
This is what responsible, serious government looks like in action; a budget which does the most for those with the least, prioritises investment in our public services and lets more families keep more of their own hard-earned cash in their pockets.
Some of you have written to me seeking reassurance that we’re targeting resources at those who really need the help so I wanted you to know the following:
Labour’s commitment to the triple lock will see over one million Scottish pensioners benefit from £8.6m more in State pension.
Households eligible for Pension Credit will get £465 a year more for single pensioners and up to £710 a year more for couples due to a 4.1% increase in the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee, benefitting 125,000 pensioners in Scotland.
Around 1.7 million families in Scotland will see their working-age benefits uprated in line with inflation – a £150 gain on average in 2025-26.
And by reducing the maximum level of debt repayments that can be deducted from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month from 25% to 15% we have ensured that the Scottish family will benefit by over £420 a year on average.
We promised to end austerity. I’m very proud to say that now we have.
