John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is up now taking questions. When asked how he will project competence given the problems the SNP has had, Swinney responds by stating that he has two goals: to rebuild trust and to make policy in the Scottish government to improve people’s lives. He emphasizes his focus on eradicating child poverty, moving to net zero, boosting the economy, and improving public services. Additionally, Swinney expresses his belief that Scotland would be better off with independence, but he is democratic and wants politicians to set out what they believe and let the public judge. He also addresses the issue of NHS funding in Scotland, acknowledging the challenges and the impact of 14 years of austerity. Swinney implies that he does not accept that the SNP would lose the right to demand an independence referendum if they do not get a majority in the election.
John Swinney takes questions as leaders appear on BBC Question Time election special – UK politics live | General election 2024
John Swinney takes questions next
John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is up now.
Q: Given the problems the SNP has had, how will you project competence?
Swinney says he has recently taken over with two goals; to rebuild trust, and to make policy in the Scottish government to improve people’s lives. He is focusing on eradicating child poverty, on moving to net zero, on boosting the economy and on improving public services.
Share
Key events
Keir Starmer faces BBCQT audience
Keir Starmer is up now.
It sounds as if the applause is louder than for Davey and Swinney, but is is hard to tell.
Q: You criticised the Tory manifesto as Corbyn-like. So why did you campaign for Corbyn?
Starmer says:
I campaigned for the Labour party, as I’ve always campaigned for the Labour party. I wanted good colleagues to be returned to parliament. I knew we had a job and a half to do as a Labour Party because I didn’t think we were going to win that election. Afterwards, because we got the worst results since 1935.
After that he decided Labour needed to change.
And he says he said that about the Tory manifesto because it is not fully funded.
Share
Swinney says Labour election victory ‘racing certainty’, and Tory government has been ‘total disaster and calamity’
Q: Which Westminster leader would be best for Scotland, Sunak or Starmer?
Swinney says the Tory government “has been a total disaster and calamity, so it can’t be out of office quick enough”.
He says Labour winning is “a racing certainty”.
But he says Scotland needs SNP MPs to put the case for Scotland.
Share
Swinney says Rishi Sunak has said he will authorise new oil and gas licences. That’s “completely and utterly irresponsible”, he says. He says Sunak is denying the climate emergency.
He says he wants to see a transition to net zero.
Share
Updated at 20.57 BST
‘Sooner we’re back in EU, the better,’ says Swinney
Swinney says people in Scotland are really suffering because of the absence of freedom of movement, the single market and the customs union. “The sooner we can get back into the European Union, in my view, the better,” he says.
Share
Q: How can you bring people together when you are campaigning for a second, divisive independence referendum?
Swinney says it is about having a debate, and bringing people with you. He tries to do that through “respectful, courteous debate”.
Share
The next question is from Tina.
Q: If you get no more funding from Westminster, how will you fix NHS funding in Scotland?
Swinney says he accepts there are “some very significant challenges” in the NHS in Scotland. Some of that is due to Covid.
Scotland gets the block grant from Westminster, and the money it raises itself.
The Scottish government has increased tax for higher earners. It now has £1.5bn as a result, that it would not have if it had not raised tax.
But 14 years of austerity is also having a long-term effect. And Labour and the Tories are not proposing a solution to this, he says.
Bruce asks why long hospital waits are so much longer in Scotland.
Swinney says he thinks that is due to complex conditions.
But there are other metrics, he says. He says Scotland has the best performing A&E system in the UK.
Share
Swinney implies he does not accept not SNP would lose right to demand independence referendum if it does not get majority
Q: Will you carry on calling for independence until you get the answer you want?
Swinney says he thinks Scotland will be better off with independence. But he is a democratic.
He says politics needs is politicians who set out what they believe and ask the public to judge.
A majority of MSPs favour independence, he says. But they can’t put that to the people.
Q: You say getting a majority of MPs in Scotland means you should get the chance to put the choice to the people. Does the opposite apply? If you don’t get 29 seats in Scotland (just over half), do you accept you won’t have a mandate?
Swinney says he wants people to vote for the SNP.
Bruce says that sounds like a no – he is not accepting not getting a majority means he has no right to demand a referendum.
Share
Updated at 20.43 BST
Swinney says one of the things that really worries him about politics now “is the polarisation of the debate”. He says he may have played a part in that. He wants to bring people together.
Share
John Swinney takes questions next
John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is up now.
Q: Given the problems the SNP has had, how will you project competence?
Swinney says he has recently taken over with two goals; to rebuild trust, and to make policy in the Scottish government to improve people’s lives. He is focusing on eradicating child poverty, on moving to net zero, on boosting the economy and on improving public services.
Share
Q: What will the Lib Dems do for young people wanting to buy or rent a home?
Davey says the Lib Dems have plans to build more homes.
He says he met his wife through a Lib Dem housing policy working group.
Share
Davey says he ‘really hopes’ people go to prison over Post Office Horizon scandal
Q: Should Paula Vennells, the former Post Office chief executive, face criminal proceedings?
Davey says serious mistakes were made.
He says the inquiry is underway. He does not want to prejudice that, but he goes on:
I really hope that people go to prison for this.
Share
Q: Are you proud of your record as post office minister on the Horizon scandal?
Davey says this was “the biggest miscarriage of justice in our country’s history”.
He says he made two mistakes.
First, he initiatially refused to meet Alan Bates – although he subsequently did agree to meet him. He was the first post office minister do that.
And then, after he met Bates, he put his concerns to officials and to the Post Office. But he was given assurances that what Bates was saying was wrong.
He says he wishes he had seen through the lies.
Share
Q: Would you go into coalition if you had to give up some policies?
Davey says he is focused on doing as well as he can in the election.
Bruce says he has already said he is unlikely to be PM. So he should be able to say what he might do after the election.
Davey repeats the point about focusing on the campaign.
Bruce points out that he is not answering. Davey says he has seen a lot of Lib Dem leaders; the ones focusing on what comes next after an election have not campaigned as well as the ones who haven’t.
Share
Davey says the Lib Dems are looking “really good” to beat the Tories in Hazel Grove and in Cheadle, in the north-west.
Share
Updated at 20.47 BST
The next question is about the broken tuition fee promise. A student says people like her have debt worth hundreds of thousands. How can her generation trust the Lib Dems?
That gets a round of applause.
Davey says it was a difficult government to be in. “We did not win everything, and we lost that one,” he says.
He says he learned you should not promise what you can’t deliver. He claims the manifesto promises are now more realistic. That was the “big lesson” he learned.
Bruce says the broken tuition fees promise still comes up regularly during Question Time programmes.
Davey says the party was “severely punished” in 2015, and in the subsequent two elections. He lost his seat, he said.
Share
Updated at 20.48 BST
Davey says the two-child limit on benefits is “just wrong” and has to go.
Q: Are you trying to persuade people you can be PM?
Davey says he is being realistic.
It would be “challenging, given the polls”.
But he does not want to put a limit on his ambition.
Q: So is your manifesto just a wish list?
Referring to the extra GP policy, Davey says this is achieveable. There are people who are trained as GPS, but who cannot get a job because the money is not there to employ them.
Q: Is the manifesto a wish list?
No, says Davey. It is “absolutely a programme for government”.
As a minister in the coalition, he learnt you should not promise what you can’t deliver.
Q: Like cancelling tuition fees?
Indeed, says Davey.
He says he has spent time trying to rebuild trust.
Share
Read the full story on www.theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jun/20/bbc-question-time-leaders-debate-conservatives-labour-lib-dem-snp-latest-updates