14 years of chaos, scandal and economic decline under Tories will continue unless you do this one simple thing

We have just 24 hours to go to polling day and the chance to get rid of the Tories, sweeping away 14 years of chaos, scandal and economic decline. Polls do not predict the future, they are just a snapshot of the second that voters answer a theoretical question. To turn this wave for change into a reality, we have to vote for it tomorrow, we have to make history at the ballot box.

This will not be change for change’s sake. This will be the promise of economic stability after the disastrous Conservative government. Their pals in the press have warned Labour will put the economy on the rocks in the first 100 days. Well, it took Liz Truss less than 49 days to do that, leaving every family worse off and mortgage holders in Scotland facing a hike of £2,000 a year.

We will have stability. Labour is a party for working people and the test of our times will be if we make working people better off. There will be a new deal on wages, an end to exploitative contracts, and a government that takes business and investment seriously. This will mean a genuine living wage for 200,000 of the lowest paid Scots, lifting people out of in-work poverty, and it will mean a focus on apprenticeships for young people facing the cost-of-living crisis.

Labour can only change Britain if people actually vote for them. Polls don't count (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

SNP failing the NHS

Labour will set up GB Energy, headquartered in Scotland, to invest in the renewables revolution and create jobs while fighting against a burning planet. But this will be a balanced transition with energy and security continuing to come from the North Sea for years.

All this will make a real difference in Scotland, as will our health plans. As a result of SNP decisions, NHS spending in Scotland has failed to keep up with investment elsewhere. When the nationalists came to power, Scotland spent 17 per cent more per head on health than in England. Now it’s only three per cent.

A UK Labour government will start the process of delivering greater investment in the NHS, paying for this by closing non-dom tax loopholes and cracking down on tax avoidance. This will deliver millions in health-related funding for Scotland, creating 160,000 more appointments every year for patients in Scotland by operating additional clinics and theatre procedures in evenings and weekends. This increased capacity will cut waiting lists, drive down waiting times, and reduce the need for patients to pay out of their own pocket for private care.

Not another day

More than anything, a Labour government will end the despair, cynicism and selfishness which has been the hallmark of the Tories for 14 years. Keir Starmer will provide decency and integrity in office which was missing when the lockdown birthday cakes and the suitcases of booze were being rattled into Downing Street.

We want Scottish Labour MPs to be there with him, putting Scotland’s case and Scotland’s voice at the heart of government, making a difference to people’s lives every day of the week. We can do all this, if we choose change.

For 14 years, the Tories have caused economic chaos and turmoil across Scotland. We cannot afford the risk for another day or another five years. At the ballot box tomorrow, vote for change.

Jackie Baillie MSP is Scottish Labour’s deputy leader