Tory rule has been a disaster for Scotland and their end cannot come soon enough

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking during the launch of the Scottish Conservative party's General Election manifesto at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel in Edinburgh.
-Credit: (Image: PA)


The worst campaign in general election history somehow manages to get worse every day.

On day one, Tory PM Rishi Sunak got soaked as he announced the election.

Then he was forced to admit he got it wrong in a TV debate when he accused Labour of planning big tax hikes.

Then he managed to annoy the whole country by swanning off from D-Day commemorations for a TV interview.

Now some of his Tory pals are being probed for betting on the election date.

Sunak has finally succumbed to the pressure to drop two Tory candidates involved in the betting scandal.

It is a disgrace if politicians close to the PM used inside knowledge to bet on the election date for their own personal gain.

But what is equally baffling is that Sunak refused to drop them earlier. It would have been easy for him to suspend the people involved very quickly.

Instead he hid behind the probe. He showed himself to be weak and indecisive when he ended up doing a screeching U-turn and binning them. The debacle sums up why the public dislikes this corrupt Conservative Party. The Tories are simply out for themselves and are happy to do anything to advance their own interests.

They have regularly tried to mislead the public during this gaffe-ridden campaign. But they also reek of incompetence and poor judgment.

It proves that the Daily Record was right to back Labour in the election. The past 14 years have been a disaster for Scotland and the end of the Tories’ time in office cannot come soon enough.

Keir Starmer is the only man who can replace Sunak.

Scots must vote Labour on July 4 to finally get rid of this chaotic and cruel Conservative government.

Lives on the line

Every health board in Scotland has let cancer patients down by failing to get them seen within the target waiting times.

There are few surprises now when these figures come out but it is rare for every single health board to fail.

Behind every one of those figures is an anxious patient, parent, child or partner who knows that, for every day the
treatment is delayed, there is a greater chance of the cancer spreading.

That is no way for people to live.

SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray must get a grip on this crisis. Successive health secretaries have promised to tackle the backlogs but delivered little.

The Scottish Government has promised an investment of £100million over the next three years, with funds set aside for services like cancer diagnostics.

We all hope these efforts work and waiting times can finally come down. It is no exaggeration to say that lives are on the line.

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