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Daily Record
Politics
Peter Davidson

Tory toff Jacob Rees-Mogg mocked after blaming Edinburgh bin strikes on the SNP

Jacob Rees-Mogg has weighed into a row about rubbish collection in Edinburgh, with the SNP quick to point out the Conservatives are supporting the city's Labour-led administration.

A dispute between council leaders and unions has seen some areas of Scotland, including Edinburgh, faced with rubbish piled up in the streets as workers went on strike.

Business Secretary Rees-Mogg told the House of Commons that "as an administration turns from Conservative to socialist the rubbish piles up in the streets, as I think it's also been doing with the SNP in Edinburgh".

SNP chief whip Owen Thompson hit back, saying on Twitter: "(Rees-Mogg) thinks Edinburgh is an SNP led council... hate to tell him its a Labour/Tory partnership."

The Conservatives supported Labour to take control of the City of Edinburgh Council earlier this year. Council umbrella organisation Cosla has been in talks with unions about ending the waste collection strikes.

All sides blamed each other during the strikes with the council accusing the SNP-led government of not doing enough to avert the industrial action.

Rees-Mogg was speaking in the Commons as he outlined the Government's plans to support businesses with the rising cost of energy.

SNP business spokesperson Stephen Flynn criticised the Business Secretary for announcing the plans before bringing them to the Commons for scrutiny, and he referenced a picture of Rees-Mogg which appears to show him in the street filming a clip explaining the policy which was later posted on social media.

Flynn said: "Isn't it great to see the Secretary of State in this House rather than standing in the street filming a statement to the public surrounded by boarded-up shops and rubbish. What an edifying spectacle for a man who believes in the pre-eminence of this here Parliament."

He asked how much the Government's energy package would cost, if large companies like Amazon would benefit from "a scheme that's going to built on the back of public-sector borrowing", and if he can explain to "energy-rich Scotland" why "Westminster has failed us so terribly badly".

Rees-Mogg responded: "He refers to rubbish in the streets of Westminster and I would point out to him that as soon as an administration turns from Conservative to socialist the rubbish piles up in the streets, as I think it's also been doing with the SNP in Edinburgh."

Met with protestations from the SNP benches, Mr Rees-Mogg continued, saying "this scheme is fair to taxpayers", adding there would be a review in three months "to ensure the support goes to those people who need it most".

SNP chief whip Thompson tweeted: "So Jacob-Rees-Mogg thinks Edinburgh is an SNP led council... hate to tell him its a Labour/Tory partnership."

The MP added a facepalm emoji.

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