Dugdale challenges SNP over '˜housing crisis' in Scotland

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Inverclyde candidate Martin McCluskey visit a nursery while on the campaign trail in Greenock on Tuesday. Picture: John Devlin/TSPL

The Scottish Labour leader said there was an urgent need to build more homes across the country and claimed the Scottish Government had failed to tackle the shortage during its time in power at Holyrood.

Ms Dugdale added that the construction industry across the UK was already under pressure and warned that a “hard Brexit” could weaken it further.

But the SNP said Scotland already had the highest house building rate anywhere in the UK and that it had overseen a new generation of council house construction.

The Scottish Labour leader said: “We have a housing crisis in Scotland and we urgently need to build more homes.

“But we have an SNP government that is more interested in breaking-up Britain than building homes.

“We need to start building more homes as it is the twin track route to a better nation that will cut poverty and stimulate the economy.

“Scotland needs Labour MPs focused on getting homes built, not SNP MPs obsessed with building the case for a second independence referendum that the majority of Scots don’t want.”

An SNP spokesman said: “Scotland has the highest house building rate anywhere in the UK. Under the SNP Scottish Government we have seen a new generation of council house building and, since 2007, over 60,000 affordable homes have been completed with at least 50,000 more new homes being built over this parliament.

“This is the height of hypocrisy from Labour, who did next to nothing on housing when they were in office – only with the SNP in government in Holyrood and providing strong opposition at Westminster will we be able to continue to build on our record.

“Only a vote for the SNP is a vote that will deliver for people across Scotland and stand up for their interests in Westminster.”