SNP firebrand Mhairi Black has laid into Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying she is “disappointed” he didn’t pledge to reverse all Tory austerity.
The Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP called the UK a “sinking ship” and she is “so disappointed” in Corbyn for pledging to keep Trident, “turning a blind eye” to Welsh Labour hiking up tuition fees in Wales and planning to scrap just £2bn of Theresa May’s £9bn worth of cuts.
Black also hit out at the BBC for inviting Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson on the Andrew Marr Show to talk “at great length” about the SNP conference, when Nicola Sturgeon did not get the same opportunity when the Tories met in Manchester.
Speaking at SNP delegates meeting in Glasgow, Black said: “I’m so disappointed with Jeremy Corbyn, so disappointed. Yes, he may be an opponent but I was heartened to see Jeremy Corbyn elected as leader of the Labour Party because I thought finally someone normal and sensible to work with in London.
“But still we have more of the same London spin and talking a good game.
“If you’re going to call for an end to austerity, don’t release a manifesto scrapping only £2bn out of a total £9bn worth of planned Tory cuts.
“Don’t tell the vulnerable that you’re fighting for them while you choose to keep 78% of Tory cuts.
“Don’t tell the young people that you’ll scrap tuition fees then turn a blind eye to Labour who hike them up in Wales.
“Don’t tell us you’re different then still sign up to waste billions of pounds on nuclear weapons.
“Don’t come to Scotland like so many before and condescend us by claiming that the Scottish Government with 15% of welfare powers can somehow undo Tory austerity when your party voted against devolving the real powers that matters.”
She went on: “The importance of effective media is a critical component to democracy cannot be underestimated.
“So, I want to know why the Scottish Conservative leader was invited on the Andrew Marr Show to talk about our conference at great length and I want to know where our invite was during our conference.”
Black also called for Scotland to have its own public broadcaster and finished her barnstorming speech by calling for the next independence referendum.
She said: “I honestly don’t think it’s unreasonable or abnormal for the second largest country in the UK to desire its own publicly-owned public broadcaster.
“Now I welcome criticism from the media as we all should, it’s how we ensure an honest and informative debate - but that includes the media too.
“Far from wanting to shut down the media, we want to open it up so that it can reflect all the different perspectives through which people in Scotland view the view, precisely because we know the stakes are so high.”
She said Corbyn had “spread fear and utter drivel about an independent Scotland” and went on: “The reality is that the UK is an economically selfish, increasingly xenophobic, cruel and reckless Britain.
“It is a sinking ship and, I’ll say it again, are we really saying we won’t get on the lifeboat for fear it might not work.”