The mortgage scandal lays bare the destruction that the Tories have wreaked on the economy. The figures are shocking.

They show that hard-working Scots have been paying hundreds of pounds a month more because of the UK Government’s failure to reduce inflation. Renters have been hit by massive rises, with those on mortgages overwhelmed by increasing interest rates.

The average mortgage holder is paying almost £400 more a month than they were in November 2021 – and there’s every chance the situation will only get worse. Many people are only just able to afford their mortgage and have been struggling to make ends meet because of the increases.

But it is not only homeowners who have been hit, as the mortgage rate increases are often passed on to tenants. This is part of the reason that so many are facing sky-high rents.

All of this has been made worse by the Tories tanking the economy. Not only are people paying more for their mortgages, but food prices and energy costs continue to rise.

At the same time, wages are not going up in line with the cost of living. So people are going without necessities and will continue to do so while inflation and interest rates increase.

The Tories are clearly incapable of sorting things out to support the working people of this country. It is vital that we boot them out of office. We must grab the chance to do so at the general election.

Anyone who drives regularly knows Scotland’s roads are not up to scratch. Weaving around potholes has become something of a national pastime.

Now, we can see just how serious “defective surfaces” can be, with the latest figures showing they have contributed to hundreds of accidents in the last decade. Tragically, in the worst cases, the poor state of our roads has led to deaths and serious life-changing injuries.

Transport Scotland can talk about how much money they spend each year but the truth is the maintenance of all our roads is nowhere good enough. Partly, the root of this goes all the way to government funding.

Thanks to Tory austerity and the undermining of public services, there is less in the pot to spend than we need in a range of areas. There is no part of public life the Conservatives haven’t made worse during their 13 years in power.

This is just another example. Thankfully, they are nearing the end of their potholed road to nowhere.

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