West Dunbartonshire’s incumbent MP Gemma Doyle condemned the government’s budget, claiming it failed to give people the pay rise they ‘desperately needed’. Responding to Chancellor George Osborne’s sixth and final budget of this parliament, Ms Doyle criticised the government for failing to recognise that working families are ‘worse off’ than they were five years ago.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics and the Institute of Fiscal Studies show that working families are £1,600 worse off since 2010, with living standards lower now than they were five years ago, the Labour MP said that this showed clearly that ‘people simply can’t afford five more years of the Tories’.

The government also came under fire for failing to mention the NHS in their budget, despite what Labour has branded a ‘crisis’ in A&E north and south of the border.

In contrast the Labour party have outlined their plans for a budget which is focused on raising living standards.

Their plans include increasing the minimum wage as well as providing additional free child care for working parents.

There is also a heavy focus on the NHS with plans to increase the number of doctors, nurses, and care workers in hospitals.

The Labour party also outlined their plans for Britain’s younger generations with plans for paid work for all young people without a job, an increase in college bursaries, and a £1,600 Future Fund for every 18 and 19-year-old in Scotland who doesn’t go to college or university.

Speaking about the budget, Ms Doyle said: “If ever we needed proof that this government only cared about a privileged few, we’ve seen it today in this budget.

“People in Britain desperately need a pay rise, and yet there was nothing in the chancellor’s speech today to improve the lives of people in West Dunbartonshire.

“The chancellor is deluded if he thinks that people are better off now than they were five years ago.

“I speak to folk every day who tell me they are struggling to make ends meet. The truth is that people simply can’t afford five more years of the Tories.

“A Labour budget will focus on raising living standards and balancing the books in a fairer way. That’s the budget that Britain needs.” However, SNP election candidate for the area Martin Docherty said Labour could not be trusted to end the cuts.

He said: “In the last week the communities of West Dunbartonshire have seen the Westminster establishment come together to ensure the continuation of austerity; George Osborne in publishing the Tory budget was swiftly followed by Labour’s Ed Balls who stated ‘he would not reverse any of the measures’ announced.

“In addition, by signing up to the Charter for Budget Responsibility, Labour has embraced Tory Austerity – that’s embracing £30 billion in cuts over the first two years of the next parliament alone, directly impacting you, your families, your neighbours, and community.

“The communities of West Dunbartonshire know that left to their own devices, Labour intend to carry on with Tory cuts that are inflicting real pain on families across Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven.

“Our own Scottish government in defending our NHS and our most vulnerable has proposed an alternative to continued austerity where spending increases in 2019-20, when increasing departmental spending by a modest 0.5 per cent would reduce debt and permit a further £180billion of investment across the UK over the next four years compared to UK government plans; and £80 billion compared to Labour’s plans.

“Both public sector borrowing and public sector net debt would fall every year, as a share of national income, under this scenario however, the declines would be smaller than under the UK government’s proposals.” He added: “This idea that further austerity is inevitable, desirable and necessary simply doesn’t add up from an economic perspective, and in that sense, I think, Nicola Sturgeon is quite right to put these issues on the agenda.

“I know that a strong team of SNP MPs will not only demand the further powers West Dunbartonshire and Scotland were promised to grow our economy, we will also demand Westminster changes course on austerity, calling for investment and a move away from the slash-and-burn economic approach of the Westminster coalition.”