The Scotsman

Five things to look out for as the SNP unveils manifesto

The SNP will launch its general election manifesto this week, with the party promising to set out an “alternativ­e to the Westminste­r status quo”.

SNP leader John Swinney said it will be the only “truly left-of-centre” manifesto on offer at this election. Here are five key themes to look out for.

Independen­ce

Mr Swinney has said independen­ce will be on “page one, line one” of his party’s manifesto. This is hardly surprising. However, the details here will be interestin­g. The First Minister recently denied the constituti­on had been downplayed by the SNP as it seeks to win votes.

“Our manifesto position is that if the SNP wins a majority of seats in this election, that must trigger negotiatio­ns with the UK about Scotland becoming an independen­t country, and I think the best and the most reliable way to make that happen is by a democratic referendum in which everybody can chose on that question the future of Scotland,” he said.

Austerity

Mr Swinney said the manifesto will set out “an alternativ­e to the billions of pounds in cuts planned by both Labour and the Tories”.

The SNP has repeatedly criticised Labour for what it says are £18 billion of cuts baked into Sir Keir Starmer’s plans. This is based on analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which actually says Labour’s manifesto implies between £6bn and £16bn of spending cuts in unprotecte­d areas such as local government funding. The SNP said its manifesto will include plans for investment in public services and “protection­s for the NHS against the creeping privatisat­ion agenda”.

Cost of living

Linked to the above, the SNP’S manifesto will set out support for families struggling through the costof-living crisis. Speak to any candidate and they will tell you this comes up time and time again on the doorstep.

The SNP will no doubt seek to highlight measures it has already taken in Scotland, such as introducin­g and increasing the Scottish Child Payment, as well as where it wants to go further.

North Sea oil and gas

The SNP has accused Labour of putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk with its plans to extend the windfall tax on oil and gas giants, while also criticisin­g the Tories for being “climate deniers”.

The Nationalis­ts are now embarking on a delicate balancing act, with a position that argues new licences in the North Sea should be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to robust climate tests.

Brexit

The SNP says it wants to reverse Brexit by joining the EU as an independen­t country. It will contrast this with the positions of Labour and the Tories. Meanwhile, it argues Scotland needs more migration, not less.