A RECENT YouGov poll indicates that nearly one in three (32 per cent) people blame the UK Government for high interest rates, with recent analysis by Capital Economics finding 3.2 million households are paying interest rates of three per cent or more. By the end of next year, that’s projected to rise to 5.8 million.

This will be a blow for households that are already grappling with the effects of the Tories’ cost of living crisis, as they’re set to suffer even more misery with unsustainable rises to their mortgage payments.

Brexit and the Tories’ reckless economic mismanagement has forced unnecessary hardship on far too many households – all whilst making the possibility of home ownership for others little more than a pipe dream.

The SNP is the only party offering an alternative to the grim status quo that is Westminster – which must be why Scottish Secretary Alistair Jack has gone beyond treading all over the Scottish Parliament and devolution by now dictating to Scottish Ministers – including the First Minister – what they can and cannot talk about.

Could the conclusion be that the UK Tory Government don’t want Scottish Ministers to discuss reserved matters with foreign governments because they don’t want Brexit being brought up?

You only need to read news articles from elsewhere in Europe and further afield to realise that even the rest of the world knows Brexit has been a shambles.

I therefore welcome the SNP’s calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of Brexit on the soaring cost of living scandal.

This follows further analysis from the London School of Economics which reveal Brexit has added £6bn to UK food bills – leaving households £210 worse off on average. Separately, the OBR has forecast a 4% hit to UK GDP and a 15 per cent hit to UK trade from Brexit – costing the UK economy billions of pounds.

The SNP is the only party offering real change with independence, which is Scotland’s only route back to Europe, sustained economic growth and prosperity.

People are paying an unacceptable price for Westminster failure, as the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour Party wreck the economy. Keir Starmer must stop dancing to the Tory tune on Brexit - and both parties must admit the long-term damage their Brexit obsession is doing to Scotland.

Moving onto my time in Parliament this week, I asked a question about child poverty following the statement on the Scottish Government’s first annual report on its Tackling Child Poverty Plan.

While levels of child poverty remain concerning, the report demonstrates 90,000 fewer children will live in poverty because of the concerted actions and focus from the Scottish Government, including lifting an estimated 50,000 children out of hardship through the Scottish Child Payment.

Just imagine how many more children and families could be lifted out of poverty if Brexit and the Tory-made cost of living crisis hadn’t happened…