Scottish Labour is calling for a budget for recovery to kickstart the economy, remobilise our NHS and deliver a fair deal for NHS and social care workers.

Businesses will be the dynamos of our economic recovery, but too many are at risk of going to the wall. Scottish Labour is calling for action to kickstart our economy and deliver a fair economic recovery through a combination of business support, rates relief and investment in employment support and apprenticeships.

The SNP’s remobilisation of the NHS has been far too slow and lives have been put in danger. Scottish Labour is calling for action to strengthen and enhance mental health services, a drastic increase in funding for cancer services and action to tackle the waiting times backlog which is a ticking time bomb.

The NHS and social care workforce has been on the frontline of the pandemic. Scottish Labour believes that recognising and supporting staff means offering more than warm words and is calling for a £15 an-hour rate for social care workers and better pay and conditions for the NHS workforce.

After 14 years of SNP misrule and a pandemic which has exposed the fragility of our economy and NHS, Scottish Labour is fighting for a fair recovery for all that leaves none behind.

Commenting, Scottish Labour Interim leader Jackie Baillie said: “This pandemic has exposed the fragility of our economy and how much we all rely on the work done by so many.

“After 14 years of SNP misrule, the people of Scotland simply cannot afford another budget that does nothing to support our economy or protect our NHS.

“At this budget, Scottish Labour is demanding an end to SNP timidity and is bringing forward bold proposals to kickstart the economy, remobilise our NHS and deliver a fair deal for NHS and social care workers.

“This pandemic is the greatest economic crisis we have faced in living memory – anything short of the radical proposals tabled by Scottish Labour will be a dereliction of duty.

“We need a recovery with fairness for working people at its heart and that is what we are proposing at this budget.”