Why is the UK in decline?

Thirteen years of Tory rule at Westminster have accelerated the UK’s economic decline.

Tory governments that Scotland hasn’t voted for since 1955 have imposed austerity, Brexit and now preside over the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.

And this is not a new occurrence – it’s been happening for decades under both Labour and Tory governments. Compared to its neighbours in north west Europe the UK’s wealth per person has lagged behind them all for both decades of the 21st century.

While other European countries outperform the UK on key measures, Brexit Britain is falling behind – with rising inequality, rising poverty and falling growth. A Brexit that Keir Starmer’s Labour support.

The UK’s trade deficit – the balance of what it buys from abroad relative to what it sells abroad – has been worsening because of Brexit; and because the UK imports more than it exports, things like food, clothing and various manufactured goods get more expensive.

Inequality is also on the rise in Britain, as the rich get richer and the rest gets poorer. The average UK household is now around 20% worse off than their counterparts in neighbouring countries.

Scotland can do better than putting up with continuous decline under Westminster control.

With independence, Scotland can take its own future into its own hands where the people of Scotland – not Westminster – would make the decisions that really matter to them.