The SNP has been accused of “levelling down” the country by “failing to tackle inequality and deliver equal opportunity”.

The Scottish Conservatives said there is a “growing chasm” between those in the most and least deprived parts of Scotland.

They accused the SNP of “holding Scotland back with their obsession with independence”, which they said was “diverting ministers’ attention away” from improving lives.

Analysis carried out by the party showed wages are almost twice as high in East Renfrewshire as they are in Moray, with residents living in the latter local authority earning on average £11.83 per hour – against £20.87 per hour in East Renfrewshire.

The Tories also highlighted data from Audit Scotland which suggested people living in Scotland’s most deprived areas have a healthy life expectancy of two decades less than those in the least deprived.

In 2020/21, the party said, drug-related hospital admissions in Scotland’s most deprived areas were more than 21 times greater than those in the least deprived.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Education Matters

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