A BRUTAL essay penned by former prime minister Tony Blair outlining how Labour have failed while in office demonstrates the need for Scottish independence, the SNP have argued.
On Wednesday, Blair published a highly critical 5700-word essay in which he said that the Labour Government has "no coherent plan" for the UK's future and is "playing with fire".
Blair, who is the only Labour leader to win three general elections, argued the UK Government needs a “fundamental reset” less than two years since it won the election.
He said that Labour is “lacking a project”, adding: “The Labour Party is playing with fire; or, more accurately, with its future, and that of the country.”
He went on: “The Government’s principal problem isn’t Keir’s personality. Or a failure to communicate ‘our achievements’. Or a need to assert more strongly Labour’s ‘values’.
“It is because we don’t have a worked out, coherent plan for the country in a fast-changing world and are in the wrong political position from which we can devise one and win a second term.
“The Government is governing from an essentially traditional Labour ‘soft left’ position, parked firmly in the party’s comfort zone.”
In the essay, the former prime minister also called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to rip up Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s net zero targets and reduce the welfare budget, which he claimed risks outpacing defence spending by the end of the decade.
The SNP have said that "the case for independence has never been stronger" after the publication of Blair's essay, which the party said "outlined how useless Westminster is".
The party pointed towards decisions taken in Westminster which have "significantly damaged Scottish businesses", including "prematurely shutting down Scotland's oil and gas production", as well as refusing to re-join the EU following the 2016 Brexit referendum, in which 62% of people in Scotland voted to remain.
Commenting, SNP MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston, David Linden said: “Even senior members of the Labour Party can now see it – Westminster has been disastrous for Scotland.
“Westminster has implemented a brutal tax on jobs, ruined 1000 energy jobs a month through their hated tax on Scotland's energy and inflicted sky-high energy bills on hard working households."
Linden said that "broken, Brexit Britain is in terminal decline and is bound for a Farage future", adding: "Westminster does not work for Scotland and we desperately need a fresh start with independence".
He continued: “Independence offers Scotland the opportunity to re-join the EU, to put Scotland's energy in Scotland's hands and build a wealthier Scotland anew – that is the positive vision for Scotland’s future people voted for just a few short weeks ago."
