Labour pressure is paying off in Holyrood

3 October 2017

Today highlights the difference Labour is making in the Scottish Parliament. Here are 4 things that happened in Holyrood today.

Labour pressure forced the SNP into extending their moratorium on fracking.

Today the SNP announced an indefinite moratorium on fracking. The Nationalists were forced to finally come off the fence because Labour MSP Claudia Beamish proposed a Member’s Bill to change the law in Scotland to ban fracking.

While we welcome this announcement from the SNP, this decision could still be overturned at any time.

We want to ensure Scotland has full protection from fracking and will push for a full legal ban.

The SNP dropped plans for regional education directors

Labour has opposed the SNP’s education reforms from the beginning. While there is still a way to go, Labour pressure in Holyrood, combined with Labour councillors standing up for local government, means that the SNP had to drop a flagship plan to centralise education through government appointed regional directors.

The SNP plan would have made these directors answerable to John Swinney, rather than the communities they serve.

Instead, Labour pressure in Holyrood and across Scotland mean local councils will continue to work together to improve education across Scotland.

The Football Act is one step closer to repeal

A range of experts gave evidence at Holyrood’s Justice Committee today about the flawed SNP Football Act.

Labour MSP James Kelly is proposing a Member’s Bill to repeal the controversial law and Holyrood has already voted in favour of scrapping it. Today was another step forward in the parliamentary process towards repeal.

The Justice Committee’s call for evidence saw three quarters of individuals backing repeal, as well as more than half of expert organisations. A survey by Supporters Direct Scotland also found that 74 percent of football fans feel the Bill should be repealed.

Holyrood backed a halt to the rollout of Universal Credit

Today Parliament backed a halt to the rollout of Universal Credit. All parties, with the exception of the Tories, agreed the expansion of the social security benefit should be frozen until fundamental flaws in the system are fixed.

Universal Credit’s implementation has been fraught with errors, with the six-week payment delay at the beginning of the process forcing some of the most vulnerable members of society into rent arrears and leaving many relying on foodbanks.

Today Labour joined with other parties to send a signal to the Tories – halt this rollout.