THE SNP will be unable to prevent the Tories delivering more austerity, poverty and neglect, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said.

 

He said only Labour could deliver change by being in government delivering a policy agenda focussed on the NHs tackling poverty and unemployment.

Mr Brown was speaking at Glasgow University where he was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor.

Last week Former First Minister, Alex Salmond was given the same honour.

Mr Brown said compared to the SNP Labour would get a better deal for Scotland.

He said: "A new raft of SNP MPs under a Conservative government will be unable to stop five more years of austerity, bedroom taxes, pay day lenders, food bank poverty and NHS neglect.

"They will be unable to deliver any change for the people they represent and they will have denied us a pro-Scottish Labour government with three priorities, a renewal of the National Health Service, an all-out war on poverty and a proper plan to tackle unemployment."

Mr Brown returned to the theme he campaigned on during the independence referendum last year that resources were best used when pooled and shared across the UK.

He said:"The problems which give birth to nationalism cannot be solved BY nationalism. They cannot suddenly sort the jobs problem by atomisation when we need cross-country cooperation.

"And they cannot solve the public services financing problem when we need the benefit of sharing resources such as mansion tax and bankers' bonus tax across the United Kingdom."

Mr Brown stood down when parliament dissolved last month and will not seek re-election in the Fife seat he held for decades.

He said that only by Ed Miliband being in government can the priorities of social justice be delivered and the more seats the SNP won the less likely that was.

Mr Brown added: "I believe the majority of Scots do not want independence, but are overwhelmingly patriotic like me, desire immediate change like me and want to live in a more socially just community like me. These are the values and aspirations I and the Labour Party represent and the values we will continue to argue for day after day. For Scottish Labour as it was with Keir Hardie and then with Donald Dewar and John Smith it's an uphill battle but it's a battle for the mountaintop of social justice.