Labour has failed Scotland says Clegg

5.01.00am GMT Fri 5th Mar 2010

Ahead of today’s speech at the Scottish Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, Nick Clegg said:

“Labour has failed to deliver for Scotland. Labour’s banking crisis and recession has caused serious damage to the Scottish economy and businesses.

“Under the Labour Government the gap between rich and poor has grown wider and social mobility has foundered.

“In Scotland, life expectancy remains lower than anywhere else in the UK and it is losing jobs at the fastest rate in Western Europe.

“All this has to change and neither the Conservatives nor the SNP are capable of doing it.

“The Lib Dems in Scotland have set the political pace on our campaign for a fairer society.

“Scotland deserves real change, and the Liberal Democrats are the only ones to deliver it.

“Under a Liberal Democrat Government, you will not have to pay any income tax on the first £10,000 you earn.

“This will free half a million Scots on low incomes from having to pay any income tax at all and put £700 back in the pockets of people on low and middle incomes, providing an incentive to work and save.”