Scottish Green Party launches general election manifesto

Scottish Green Party manifesto launch: Picture credit - Scottish Green Party/Twitter

The Scottish Green Party launched its general election manifesto today, promising to provide a strong voice for Scotland against Westminster cuts.

Co-convener Patrick Harvie MSP is one of three candidates the party is fielding in next week’s election.

Harvie is standing in Glasgow North, an area where the Scottish Greens did well in last month’s local government election.

He said: "Scotland needs a Green voice at Westminster. During the next parliament, a huge number of the social and environmental protections which have been achieved within the European Union will be transferred to the UK, where many Conservatives are openly calling for a bonfire of regulations. This will literally put people’s lives on the line.

"Greens led the way in achieving much of what’s now at risk, from capping bankers’ bonuses to controlling toxic chemicals. We need a Green voice to stand up for these protections.

"We also need a Green voice to oppose the UK government’s cuts agenda and its failure to invest in the new, sustainable economic future we need.

“We have a plan to create over 200,000 high quality jobs for Scotland in the new economy. And we will make the case for a social security system based on a Universal Basic Income, to guarantee dignity for everyone and end the fear of poverty.

"We are running a tightly-focused campaign, giving Scotland the best chance it has had to send a Green voice to Westminster. We are making the case no other party is for the sustainable, fair and decent society we know this country can become."

The manifesto, entitled Our Future Is Green, promises that Scottish Green MPs will:

• Stand up to the Conservative's hard brexit and for Scotland's right to choose its future
• Push for a new, Green industrial revolution, creating over 200,000 new jobs in Scotland by transitioning from unburnable fossil fuels to clean, green industries
• Work for a social security system which treats everyone with dignity, underpinned by a universal basic income to stamp out poverty