THE SNP candidate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West has issued an open letter to Labour supporters ahead of next week’s by-election.
Katy Loudon urged Labour supporters to vote SNP to make Starmer "think again" on his policy lurch to the right.
Residents of the ward will head to the polls on October 5.
The SNP councillor also appeared alongside Tory candidate Thomas Kerr and Labour candidate Michael Shanks on Tuesday night’s STV programme, where they were given the opportunity to ask each other questions.
Loudon called out the “cheek” of Kerr, accusing him of asking a “gotcha” question in relation to congestion charges and targeted Shanks on his party’s refusal to offer any plan for real cost of living support – with him declining to back SNP calls for a £400 energy bill rebate and Mortgage Tax Relief for local homeowners.
She also pressed both Westminster parties on their support for Brexit and pro-austerity policies like the two-child cap.
The letter to residents addresses the key battleground topics in the opening lines, with Loudon writing these are “top of the agenda”.
She wrote: “Soaring energy bills, high prices in the supermarkets and rocketing mortgage payments, caused by Westminster’s cost of living crisis, are top of the agenda.
“This constituency is my home: it’s where I live, where my children go to school, and where I represent my community as a local councillor.
“I have seen first-hand the devastating impact that thirteen years of Tory austerity, a hard Brexit and Liz Truss' reckless ‘mini budget’ has had on our community.
“Working households and families have been forced to bear the brunt of cruel Westminster policies they didn’t vote for”.
Loudon continues taking aim at both Tories and Labour, polices backed by both leading to austerity, and support she will provide: “Now, more than ever, our community needs real cost of living support from Westminster to help the many families struggling to simply make ends meet.
“The Tories have made clear the support we need isn’t coming. And sadly, instead of offering communities like ours a lifeline, Keir Starmer has confirmed his government would offer us more of the same.
“Rather than standing up to austerity, Sir Keir Starmer has refused to produce an alternative agenda – confirming that on his watch, a Labour government would maintain support for key Tory policies that take money out of your pockets, dilute workers’ rights and push more people into poverty.
“That simply isn’t good enough. Keir Starmer is selling off core Labour values in a thinly veiled attempt to appeal to those on the right.
“The closer Keir Starmer gets to Number 10, the further away he gets from the principles you stand for. I believe in protecting our NHS from Tory privatisation so it always remains in public hands, free at the point of need.
“I believe it’s wrong that in energy rich Scotland, some of the most elderly in our community can’t afford to turn the heating on.
“I believe that in a country as well-off as ours, it is an outrage that children are going to bed hungry. And I believe that our workers and trade unions should be empowered, rather than restricted, with the right to strike enshrined in law.
Loudon concludes: “While we may not agree on every single issue, few of us do, the core principles of community, dignity and equality unite us.
“Rutherglen and Hamilton West needs a strong MP who is willing to stand up for their community and fight for the real cost of living support people need right now. After already bending his principles on a host of key issues, including Brexit, the Labour candidate in this by-election has proven he is not up to that task.
“On Thursday 5th October you can be assured that if you vote for me, Katy Loudon, I will oppose Westminster austerity, ensure local households are properly supported, and hold this incompetent Tory Government’s feet to the fire.
“To deliver real change in our local community at this election and send Keir Starmer a message to think again – vote SNP.”
