Sturgeon: Vote SNP to keep NHS out of Johnson’s hands

Voting for the SNP will keep the NHS “out of Boris Johnson’s hands”, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The SNP leader is visiting the Eastwood constituency on Wednesday, where she will highlight her Government’s 4% pay rise offer for NHS staff.

She accused the Conservatives of stripping protection for the NHS from trade deals and seeking to have Westminster “muscle in” on devolved powers.

The Tories have said the SNP’s proposed increase for NHS spending north of the border is lower than that of England.

Sturgeon said: “In this election, I am asking the people of Scotland to help me keep our NHS safe and out of Boris Johnson’s hands.

“The SNP is backing Scotland’s essential NHS workers with a 4% pay rise against the 1% on offer from the Tories at Westminster.

“If we are re-elected the SNP will use all our experience in government to implement a full-scale remobilisation of the NHS with record levels of investment.

“And we will keep the essential services helping us through Covid, like Test and Protect, in public hands, not managed by private companies.”

She continued: “The Scottish Tory leader has already voted to strip robust protection for the NHS from Westminster post-Brexit trade deals and to give the Tory Government powers to muscle in on the Scottish Parliament any time they like.

“And from Boris Johnson down, senior Westminster Tories have made it clear they want to cut Scotland’s share of UK public spending.

“The actions of the Westminster Tory Government since the Brexit vote in 2016 all add up to a serious and growing threat to our health service.

“That would be bad enough at any time, but it is critical that as we recover from Covid, decisions about Scotland’s health and Scotland’s health service are in Scotland’s hands.”