LABOUR has been called out on its “hypocrisy” after the UK’s shadow chancellor attacked the SNP for failing to tackle wage inequality in Scotland.
Anneliese Dodds, who sits on Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet, said: “The wage gap between the richest and poorest in Scotland rose by almost a third between 2011 and 2018.
“Nicola Sturgeon can’t pin this on Westminster – her party has been running Scotland since 2011.
“The SNP’s failure to tackle rising inequality is failing the Scottish people.”
The Aberdeen-born Dodds also shared a story from The Scottish Mail on Sunday.
The story reported on Labour research which had found a growing wealth gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest areas.
East Renfrewshire, Scotland’s wealthiest local authority, saw the average weekly wage rise 30% between 2011 and 2019.
READ MORE: Anneliese Dodds: Voters didn't trust Jeremy Corbyn to deliver change
By comparison, the research found that the average weekly wage in Scotland’s poorest council area, Dumfries and Galloway, rose just 9% in that time, which The Mail reported was “way below the rate of inflation”.
The British pound’s average inflation rate was 2.6% per year between 2011 and 2019, according to The Bank of England.
A spokesperson for the First Minister accused the Labour MP of “hypocrisy” for calling out Nicola Sturgeon despite the powers needed to tackle wage inequality being reserved to Westminster.
The spokesperson said: “The SNP Government is doing absolutely everything it can, with the powers it has, to tackle inequality and poverty in every part of Scotland.
“People can see that, but they also see how those efforts are hampered by Boris Johnson, who wants to steal powers away from Holyrood – and the hypocrisy of Labour who call for more action but want to keep the powers needed to tackle poverty at Westminster.”
The sentiment was echoed by SNP councillor Mhairi Hunter, who tweeted: “Labour MP thinks employment laws & minimum wage are devolved, shock.
“*not shock.”
“This is extraordinary. Where Scotgov has powers it has used them - that's why child poverty is lower here than in rUK & why Scots don't have to pay bedroom tax etc.
“But wage inequality is reserved. Accusing Scotgov of failure to use powers *it doesn't have* is peak Labour,” Hunter added.
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