As warnings about the Tory cost of living crisis continue to grow, SNP MSP Christina McKelvie has issued a fresh call for the UK government not to increase national insurance.

The MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has said that 'the Tories have a moral duty to urgently step in as household incomes are on course to collapse by the most since the mid-1970s.' The fresh calls come after reports that the Russian war in Ukraine is adding to the intense pressures families face, as the price of oil and wholesale gas continues to soar.

Commenting SNP MSP for Hamilton, larkhall and Stonehouse, Chrstina McKelvie said:

"The Tory cost-of-living crisis is hitting families across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse hard right now and, if reports are right and the UK government refuses to take any proper action to tackle the issue, then it's only going to get worse.

"Not only are the Tories not providing any measures to support households but they are breaking their own promises not to increase the rate of National Insurance contributions – gravely letting down people in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, who deserve far better.

"With reports showing that SNP policies are reducing the financial challenges facing families right now, it is ever more clear that the only way to deliver a fairer future for people across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is to become an independent country."