IN these times of Conservative and Unionist austerity more and more families have less to spend which leads to poor diet and therefore poor health.

To address the issue, the SNP approached Sir Keir Starmer for his support in pushing the UK Government to follow the lead of the French government and cap food prices in supermarkets for essential items.

That measure would help with the cost-of-living crisis for Scottish families as we head into winter. I don’t know what Sir Keir thought of the idea because he never bothered to reply.

The SNP government in Holyrood has spent £711 million of our block grant, over the last five years, mitigating policies that cause harm and those policies are made in Westminster.

We have asked Labour to support our call for an end to the two-child cap but they refused, we asked Labour to support our call to end the benefits cap and they refused, we asked Labour to support our call to end the bedroom tax and they refused.

And while workers’ rights are under threat from the Conservative and Unionists at Westminster, we in the SNP called for the Labour Party to back the devolution of employment laws to Scotland and they refused.

Meanwhile the right to free speech is being threatened by the Public Order bill that was rushed through the Westminster parliament while Labour sat on their hands. Ineffective in opposition, the Labour Party have repeatedly shown that they are no different from the Tories.

We have had 14 years of Conservative and Unionist mismanagement, yet Labour has no idea how to lift the most vulnerable out of the cost-of-living crisis.

In Scotland our representation will drop from 59 to 57 MPs, while our devolved powers are under increasing threat. Scotland is being undermined and undervalued and that either bothers you or it doesn’t. You either meekly accept it, cap in hand, or you stand up and oppose Westminster rule.