by Democrat reporter
Russell Findlay today called on pro-Union voters to back the Scottish Conservatives on their peach ballot to prevent an SNP majority and the “living nightmare” of John Swinney using it to break up the UK.
Launching his party’s manifesto in Edinburgh, Findlay warned that an outright win for the Nationalists would lead to “constitutional chaos” with Swinney pushing his independence obsession at the expense of the public’s priorities, including the cost of living and fixing crumbling public services.
The Scottish Conservative leader said that helping hard-pressed Scots should be the top issue in the election – and he outlined a new pledge to knock £500 off pensioners’ tax bills.
Under the policy, pensioners would be able to claim back the first £500 they pay in tax on their pension income. This figure would then be triple-locked, increasing in line with earnings, inflation, or 2% – whichever figure is highest.
The pension income tax relief scheme is one of several tax-cutting pledges in the Scottish Conservative manifesto to ease household cost-of-living pressures and stimulate economic growth.
The fully costed manifesto outlines that the tax cuts would be funded by reductions in benefits spending and public sector bureaucracy.
Russell Findlay said: “John Swinney has been crystal clear. He will use an SNP majority to press ahead with his plan to hold a second divisive referendum on breaking up our country.
“Already, he’s predicting an outright victory on May 7 – a majority of Holyrood seats.
“Now he has gone a step further. He’s set the date for his independence referendum. He said 2028 is his ‘expectation’.
“Can you imagine the living nightmare if John Swinney gets his majority and gets his way? We cannot allow him to plunge the next parliament into constitutional chaos.
“If we prevent an SNP majority, we can stop John Swinney from pressing ahead with his plans for a referendum. We can spend the next five years focused on the issues that matter to people.
“Every vote for the Scottish Conservatives on the peach-coloured ballot paper will help us stop the SNP.
“Ruth Davidson stopped an SNP majority in 2016, Douglas Ross stopped an SNP majority in 2021.
“In both of those elections, that’s because people across Scotland backed us with their peach ballot paper. We need to do it again.
“I’m going to give absolutely everything I’ve got to stop the SNP on May 7.
“The thought of a divisive and distracting referendum is not just concerning to me but terrifying.
“Our country desperately needs to break the SNP’s harmful spell – and we can.
“We can do so by using the peach-coloured ballot paper to vote for Scottish Conservatives.”
On his plans for pension income tax relief, Russell Findlay said: “When Sir Keir Starmer came into office, one of the first things he did was snatch Winter Fuel Payments from pensioners. Shameful.
“Pensioners who have worked hard and paid into the system are having their money swiped by a left-wing millionaire lawyer.
“We will give them something back. Today, I can announce our plan to hand back £500 to pensioners.
“Our pension income tax relief scheme would allow them to claim back the first £500 they pay in tax on their pension income.
“We can afford to do this because we will end the SNP’s obscene waste of taxpayers’ money.
“For pensioners who have worked hard and deserve to enjoy retirement, this is no more than they deserve.”