6 hours Ago
A change in leadership in America impacts Scotland and the UK, so it’s important that we find a way to forge a positive working relationship. There are of course policies and political issues we won’t agree on, but many Scottish businesses and sectors rely heavily upon trade with the USA, so we must engage. From big business like the whisky and salmon industries, all the way to small sole traders who sell products to overseas customers, they rely upon trade with the USA.
I therefore hope that President Trump continues to see the value of Scottish exports when considering any tariff changes. After so many public commitments, the Labour Government’s betrayal of the WASPI campaign is indefensible. Time and time again we saw Labour politicians line up to be photographed with WASPI campaigners, pledging their support for their plight.
Yet as soon as their party took over the reins of the UK Government, WASPI Women saw their cause dismissed. Responsibility lies squarely at the door of the UK Government to right its own wrongs. The analysis from Bloomberg Economics, published on Monday, found the cost of the UK’s most popular mortgages has risen to the highest level since August, risking a £500 annual hit for borrowers, because of soaring UK borrowing costs.
Data compiled by Moneyfacts found five-year fixed rate mortgages hit 5.3% at the end of last week, the highest in five months. Bloomberg Economics estimate this will cost those who are remortgaging their home loans this year an additional £500 on average.
During the General Election, the Labour Party promised to break the cycle of economic mismanagement by former Conservative Westminster governments, but instead they've made it worse – with mortgage rates rising further since they came to power, and experts estimating families could be hundreds of pounds worse off as a result. With shops, supermarkets, phone, broadband and utility companies all warning they will also have to increase prices because of the Labour Party National Insurance tax hike, there is a very real danger the UK is heading for another damaging cost of living crisis. This was not the change that voters were promised.
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