Thousands in Glasgow are being abandoned by the Tories and Rishi Sunak

From the financial sector to tourism to our creative and tech industries, we have the people and the talent that will drive economic growth – in turn creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty.

But our people’s determination isn’t enough alone; we need support from government at all levels.

That’s why it’s so wrong-headed for the Tories to be imposing a series of measures that will hammer households – especially at such a perilous moment.

Later this month the furlough scheme that has protected so many millions of jobs will come to an abrupt end.

There are still thousands of people in Glasgow who don’t know if they will have a job to go back to who are being abandoned by Rishi Sunak.

And the multi-millionaire chancellor is also taking away £20-a-week from those who receive Universal Credit at the time they need it the most.

The cut is the equivalent to finding an extra nine hours of work every week – even when many on Universal Credit are already working full-time.

Many of those being penalised by the Government are council workers here in Glasgow who are working tirelessly to support our city, along with shop staff and other key workers who kept us all going through the pandemic.

Rishi Sunak

And to complete the triple whammy, the Tories are also breaking their manifesto promise and hiking national insurance, meaning a tax rise for nurses, public transport drivers, care workers and council staff. 

The national insurance rise will also impact on employers, costing Glasgow City Council an extra £7 million at a time of devastating cutbacks.

If ever you needed to know the Conservatives’ priorities, this tells you everything. 

But economic decisions do not lie solely with the UK Government. Far from it.

The SNP at both a national level and here in Glasgow can help transform our economy with the extensive powers at their disposal.

Labour understood this, which is why we spearheaded the Glasgow City Deal in 2014 – harnessing millions of pounds of investment to regenerate and develop sites, helping small and medium enterprises grow, and establishing programmes to support unemployed people.

We rolled up our sleeves following the recession and got stuck in.

Following Covid, the same needs to happen now.

Anyone walking around our city can see the need for economic development, the closed shop doors on Buchanan Street, the abandoned offices, the struggling bars and clubs.

Leadership is not simply blaming someone else, as the SNP does, but putting our city first. Revitalising our city will require true leadership, which is why Glasgow deserves better than the SNP.

Next week, the 23rd State of the City Economy conference will be held in Glasgow.

It is an exciting opportunity to look forward to a successful economic future for our city – one built by bringing our people together, not the SNP’s obsession with pulling them apart.

Labour are looking to the future and have put forward a jobs recovery plan to provide every young person and Scot who have struggled to find work a job and access to training.

We have fought for a stimulus package aimed at helping vital sectors survive by encouraging shoppers and tourists to support their local economies.

And we have called for training funds, more apprenticeship schemes, and support for businesses to transition towards greener and more digital futures.

These are the kind of bold ideas we need so that we can build the economy of the future right here in Glasgow.