The West Dunbartonshire politician voted in favour of setting new binding targets on public spending in order to reduce the deficit, and voted in favour of the £100bn renewal of the Trident fleet at Faslane.

Ms Doyle joined 28 Scottish Labour MP’s in voting on the Charter for Budget Responsibility, which commits the Government to balancing day-to-day spending over the next three years.

According to the Treasury, George Osbourne’s plan means the government would have to make additional spending cuts of around £30bn to meet their targets.

Ms Doyle says she has backed Labour’s plans to balance the books in a different way, raising taxes on the highest earners and introducing a mansion tax on £2 million pound properties.

Asked by the Reporter why she backed more austerity measures, Ms Doyle denied supporting the cuts. She said: “The Tory Government’s austerity cuts are driving down living standards for people right across Scotland.

“I categorically do not support them, and I absolutely did not vote for £75billion of cuts proposed by George Osborne. When I talk to folk on the doors they want to know that the deficit will come down, but balancing the books does not mean cuts to the services we all rely on. Any first year economics student can tell you that cuts and taxes are not the only way you balance the books. We will grow the economy.” Community leaders have hit back at Ms Doyle’s decision to vote for more cuts which could see a longer period of austerity.

Jim Bollan, SSP Councillor for Leven told the Reporter: “Gemma Doyle Labour MP — a career politician — is not only being economical with the truth but she is also a disgrace and a traitor to the working class of West Dunbartonshire. Firstly she stood shoulder to shoulder with her Tory friends to ensure people in Scotland were conned out of their independence from this corrupt British state which she is beholden to. The Labour MP then compounds her contempt for the people of West Dunbartonshire by voting again with her Tory pals to inflict further deep cuts in benefits and services for some of the most vulnerable client groups in her constituency which will increase poverty levels further causing misery and hardship for those on benefits and the working poor.” Last week the Reporter revealed benefit sanctions under the coalition government had doubled in Dumbarton and the Vale, while food banks in the area get busier everyday.

Ms Doyle then appeared on Scotland Tonight on STV defending a £100bn renewal of Trident. Labour labelled the SNP’s debate on the matter a ‘meaningless stunt.’ Ms Doyle said: “We want a world free of nuclear weapons. How best to achieve that is working with other countries and multilateral disarmament.” She hit back at SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson saying: “I’m interested in whether the SNP are going to support Labour’s mansion tax to fund the NHS and provide 1,000 Scottish nurses. The SNP can’t promise that.” “The SNP will have to explain to Scottish voters why they are putting that (Trident) ahead of issues such as jobs and the economy and public services, which are actually the issues that matter most to the Scottish people and that is why we need a Labour government re-elected in May.” When asked by the Reporter why Ms Doyle didn’t abstain, but voted for the £100bn renewal, she said: “I want to see a world free of nuclear weapons and I believe that the best way of achieving that is to work with other countries around the world on multilateral nuclear disarmament.

“No-one believes for a second that the UK getting rid of our nuclear deterrent would make North Korea or Iran give up their nuclear programmes and it would be foolhardy to leave Scots unprotected in such a dangerous world.

“The last Labour Government oversaw the greatest contribution to nuclear disarmament in our history and the next Labour Government will continue this work.”