Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Palestine
Sunak has bent to the will of US President Joe Biden. In April, Sunak said the UK “stands by Israel’s rights to defend itself”. After Biden called for a 6-8 week ceasefire, Sunak only then changed his mind – nine days after three British aid workers were killed by the IDF in Gaza. He will continue to sell arms to Israel and it can be argued that he will only be willing to talk about a ceasefire if America tells him to. No consistency.
LGBTQ+ rights
Sunak has been absent on many votes regarding LGBTQ+ rights. His biggest moment was shouting to Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs – “At least I know what a woman is!” – in front of the murdered transgender girl’s mother, Brianna Ghey. LGBTQ+ groups have criticized his plans for sex education in schools, comparing them to Section 28. Horrible? Yes. Consistently, though? Yes.
Environment
Sunak has said that those who want stronger climate policies are gripped by an “ideological seal”. He also skipped the COP27 climate summit but says he wants more offshore solar and wind power. He has also been accused of “setting the UK back” by the head of the climate change watchdog, making his environmental policies as insane as England’s river water.
Immigration
Sunak placed a £1000 bet with Piers Morgan that the flights deporting illegal migrants from the UK to Rwanda would start before the summer. He has greatness. There have been 39,622 channel crossings under his rule. Sunak is still promising to send asylum seekers to Rwanda if he is re-elected.
young people
On the youth wallet, Sunak has raised the national living wage as PM. He also wants to address the “Mickey Mouse grades”, which he doesn’t believe are valuable, making his rating rather poor.
4/10
SIR KEIR STARMER
Palestine
A serial horse-turner, Starmer ignored calls for a cease-fire in Gaza. But when the Labor vote was shrinking in constituencies with many Muslim voters in England, Starmer promised to recognize the state of Palestine, and that he would “assess” the sale of arms. An improvement perhaps, but a reliable one? Nah.
LGBTQ+ rights
Starmer’s stance on self-identification cannot be ignored. He opposed Scottish Gender Recognition Reform, and backed legislation to ban transgender women from female hospital wards and sports, despite previously claiming that MP Rosie Duffield’s statement: “Women have a servix” was not “right” in 2021. If we asking about biology, here’s another question: Does Starmer have a backbone?
Environment
Starmer dropped Labour’s pledge to spend £28 billion a year to fight climate change in disgrace. However, his new “Clean Power by 2030” promises to increase renewable energy in the UK by 2030. He opposes new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, but says oil and gas production will continue for decades. Reasonable trade? If he really does, maybe.
Immigration
Starmer called for an “immigration system based on compassion and dignity” during his leadership campaign. Now, Starmer wants to use counter-terrorism measures to stop asylum seekers from crossing the channel, and promises to reduce legal migration. He wants to add “1,000 Return Units” to get rid of those who “have no right to be here”, and end the use of hotels for asylum seekers. Dignity and compassion? Not mentioned.
young people
Starmer promised in 2021 to abolish tuition fees in England and Wales. Not anymore. However, he wants to raise the minimum wage and scrap zero-hours contracts. Starmer gets a low rating because of these U-turns.
2/10
ED DAVEY
Palestine
Davey seems consistent and is refreshing compared to the last Lib-Dem government. He called for an immediate ceasefire in November 2023, and condemned the Hamas attacks on 7 October. He promises to stop all UK arms sales to Israel, and would immediately recognize a Palestinian state, standing by his original statements.
LGBTQ+ rights
Davey has voted for LGBTQ+ rights since 1998, called for “more compassion” towards transgender people. He supported the Gender Recognition Reform in Scotland, would legally recognize non-binary people, and would ban all forms of conversion therapy.
Environment
Davey has called for sewage spills to be taken seriously by having local environmental experts on the boards of water companies. The former energy and climate secretary has supported making net-zero by 2050 a core priority for the UK, and for compatibility tests on all new oil and gas licences.
Immigration
Davey promises to scrap the Illegal Immigration Act, provide safe routes for migrants to come to the UK, and give the right to work to migrants who have waited more than three months to hear back about their asylum claims.
young people
Davey has promised to introduce a Carer’s Minimum Wage, £2 an hour more than the standard minimum wage. It will extend the vote to 16-year-olds in England, in line with the voting age for Scottish elections. His promises are consistent with his voting records, and on these issues, no U-turn was found.
10/10
JOHN SWINNEY
Palestine
Opposition MPs have criticized Swinney for not investigating hundreds of thousands of pounds that Scottish Enterprise has given to defense companies with links to Israel, despite the FM’s tweeted prayers for Gaza during Eid. Swinney’s words are one thing, his actions are another.
LGBTQ+ rights
Swinney’s record on LGBTQ+ rights must include his appointment of socially conservative Kate Forbes. Swinney called her “unfit to be Prime Minister”, and then made her his deputy anyway. Additionally, Swinney says Scotland cannot implement any legal changes regarding the blocked GRR, although Yousaf has suggested working with the UK Labor Party to help get the bill passed if they are elected. A change up if I ever saw one.
Environment
Swinney aims to introduce more emission-free public transport. Measly, given that he will not confirm his stance on new oil and gas. Swinney has called Sunak a “climate denier” for suggesting he would issue up to 100 new oil and gas licenses, but Swinney himself has not explained what he means by “case by case” when issuing new licences. What are we supposed to do with that information? One point deducted for ambiguity.
Immigration
Swinney has criticized Westminster for preventing overseas students from bringing dependents. In line with this, his manifesto claims that he aims to devolve immigration to Scotland, get rid of the Rwanda scheme, and urge Westminster to give immigrants the right to work and suitable accommodation.
young people
Swinney hopes to scrap zero-hours contracts, remove the cap on two-child benefits, and allow young parents to receive the same benefits as over-25s.
5/10
PATRICK HARVIE AND LORNA SLATER
Palestine
The co-leaders of the Scottish Greens called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in October, for humanitarian corridors, and for Israel and Hamas to be held to account at the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes. They have also called on the Scottish Government to end all grants to companies involved in the conflict. Generally consistent.
LGBTQ+ rights
The party threatened to leave the government over transgender rights. The SNP then dropped the Greens instead. When Swinney became FM, Slater warned that the Greens would only continue to work with their SNP if they continued to work towards a progressive independent Scotland, including a “watertight ban” on conversion therapy. Whether they will stand by this is unclear, so one point will be deducted, as we have no examples of the Greens effectively standing up to the SNP.
Environment
The Greens’ Collateral Return Plan was delayed until 2027 but they have called for no new oil and gas. They are in a similar position as they are with LGBTQ+ rights. Another point is drawn for the same reason.
Immigration
Slater says migration could improve Scotland’s economy as an independent country. She and Harvie have called on Westminster to accept more asylum seekers, specifically unaccompanied children.
young people
Slater and Harvie have promised to ban zero-hours contracts, repeal anti-union laws made by Westminster, and raise the minimum wage to a real living wage.
8/10
How they scored
5th: Starmer. Shocker
4th: Sunak
3rd: Swinney
2nd: Harvey and Slater
Number 1: Davey Verdict
This tracker does not measure morality but the (in)ability of our leaders to do what they say they will say. And we’re screwed because the guy most likely to be PM is at the bottom. Good luck at the polling station.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24404387.politicians-can-trusted—need-busted/?ref=rss
