Sarwar – Labour would ‘block’ possible congestion charge for Glasgow

Labour has vowed to block any prospect of a congestion charge for motorists driving into Scotland’s largest city.

With reports suggesting Glasgow City Council could bring in such a charge, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said if his party forms the next government, they would act against it.

Mr Sarwar said a congestion charge for drivers in Glasgow would “punish motorists for going to work, seeing family, meeting friends or getting to vital services like hospital appointments”.

But he claimed that it was now on the table because the Scottish Government has “underfunded Glasgow for years”.

Mr Sarwar, however, was insistent: “That is not fair, and Scottish Labour would block it.”

Speaking ahead of the Holyrood election on May 7, the Labour leader said that if the SNP – the largest party on Glasgow City Council –  and Scottish Greens “were serious about tackling congestion, they would fix the mess they have made of buses and trains instead of continuing their war on motorists”.

Mr Sarwar pledged he was “standing to fix the mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Glasgow and for Scotland”.

He added: “That means standing up for working people, standing up for motorists and blocking charges like this.”

However, Alison Thewliss, the SNP candidate for Glasgow Central, hit back and said: “The only people conducting a war on motorists is the Labour UK Government, who are refusing to lift a finger to cut fuel duty – if the Labour Party were really bothered about the cost of commuting, they’d take action on spiralling prices at the pump.

“Glasgow is the economic powerhouse of Scotland, yet Anas Sarwar’s desperate campaign does nothing but talk Glasgow down.

“John Swinney’s strong and experienced leadership stands in sharp contrast to anything else on offer from the Westminster parties, who have nothing to offer the people of Scotland.”