Sunak says SNP ‘have let down Scottish school children for years and years’ amid anger over election timing
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the SNP that if the party wants to discuss schools then it should concentrate on how “they have let down Scottish school children for years and years.”
It comes after First Minister John Swinney labelled the timing of the election in the middle of the Scottish school holidays as the “latest act of disrespect” by the Conservatives to Scotland.
Mr Sunak was speaking as first day of general election campaigning saw him start in Derbyshire and conclude in Ross-shire as he visited the Nigg yard as part of whistle stop tour of the UK touting the Tories record in Scotland.
He toured the facility and then met with a number of high ranking local officials and executives like Global Energy Group boss Roy MacGregor and the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport chief executive Callum Macpherson.
The Prime Minister was also asked why he was visiting Nigg in the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross – where the Conservatives have yet to announce a candidate.
Accompanied by the Scottish Tory leader and Highland MSP Douglas Ross who answered on his behalf, claiming there would be a full field of candidates in time for the election before attacking the SNP’s record on schools, health and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister went on to defend the Conservative record in Scotland in terms of investment and Green Freeports – delivered in conjunction with the SNP – and highlighted what he sees as the failings of the SNP.
Asked about the time of the election and whether he was showing Scotland what First Minister John Swinney called the “latest act of disrespect” by the Conservatives to Scotland because the date of the election is during the school holidays.
Mr Sunak said the SNP was calling for an election on the day he announced one and that the response from Mr Swinney shows why their priorities are wrong and they should instead focus on education which was once “the envy of the world.”
“If John Swinney and the SNP want to talk about Scottish schools then they should be focussed on is the fact they have let down Scottish school children for years and years,” he said.
“Scottish schools used to be the envy not just of the United Kingdom but the envy of the world, and under the SNP’s leadership the Scottish Schools have plummeted down the international league tables and letting down a generation of school children.
“But the SNP aren’t focussed on that because they are focussed on independence and it just shows they have got absolutely the wrong priorities.
“When it comes to election timing, I think it was only on Wednesday in parliament that Stephen Flynn [SNP Westminster leader] was saying we should call an election. And then when we do call an election, what do the SNP do? They suddenly decide they didn’t think that was the right thing to do and focus on process to distract from their failures and the fact that they have let down Scottish school children.”
When Mr Sunak was asked about what Highland voters should make of him campaigning in a constituency that does not have a Conservative candidate, Mr Ross answered for him.
“We have 42 of our 57 candidates already in place and next week will have all of our candidates in place,” he said. “Up and down the country people know it is a straight choice between the Conservatives and the SNP in key seats.
“If people want to send a message to John Swinney and the SNP that they have to unite behind the Scottish Conservatives, we have got promising and ambitious plans to restore our education system, which the Prime Minister was speaking about earlier. We have plummeted down the international rankings while the SNP have been in power over the last 17 years.
“We know here in the Highlands the impact there has been on healthcare and of course most of the other journalists travelled up the A9 to get here, that was a commitment made by the SNP years ago to fully dual the A9 and the A96.
“That has never been done so Scottish Conservative candidates up and down the country will be championing local issues whereas SNP candidates and MPs if they were returned would only vote for independence.”
