Starmer must come clean on Brexit mortgage damage

The SNP has urged Keir Starmer to "come clean" over the damage his support for Brexit is doing to UK mortgage rates - ahead of an opposition debate in the House of Commons tomorrow (Tuesday).

David Linden MP said the pro-Brexit Labour Party leader was "guilty of staggering hypocrisy on mortgage rates and the cost of living" - after the party failed to mention Brexit when publishing analysis showing UK mortgage holders are paying thousands more than people in EU countries.

It comes amid growing warnings about the impact of Brexit on UK inflation and interest rates, which are higher and more stubborn than in the EU. Last week, former Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned Brexit is causing "a weaker pound, higher inflation and weaker growth" - with the OBR forecasting a 4% hit to GDP and 15% blow to UK trade intensity.

Last month, research from the London School of Economics (LSE) found Brexit had added £7billion to UK food bills - with households £250 worse off on average. Separately, analysis from Bloomberg Economics found Brexit has cost the UK £100billion a year in lost output.

Commenting, SNP Social Justice spokesperson David Linden MP said:

"Keir Starmer is guilty of staggering hypocrisy on mortgage rates and the cost of living. He must finally come clean and admit the damage his support for Brexit is doing to the UK economy.

"There is no doubt Brexit has contributed to soaring inflation and interest rates in the UK, which are higher and more stubborn than our EU neighbours. People in Scotland, and across the UK, are paying through the nose for Brexit as mortgages, rents, food prices and everyday bills rise.

"The SNP is the only party offering real change with independence - and that is Scotland's only route back to the EU and greater prosperity. In contrast, the pro-Brexit Labour Party is copying the same damaging Tory policies that got the UK into this mess.

"At the next election, voting SNP is the only way to secure independence so we can escape Brexit, tackle the cost of living, and get rid of unelected Tory governments for good."