Rishi Sunak has finally called a general election.

On July 4, voters have the opportunity to vote out this rotten and incompetent Tory government, which has caused so much misery over the past 14 years.

Ayrshire communities have long understood the devastation Conservative administrations inflict, having witnessed Margaret Thatcher’s callous policies. 

The damage inflicted upon the entire country since 2010 by the Tories has again devastated communities across the UK. Food bank use has rocketed, public services have been decimated and in-work poverty has reached record levels.

The message from Mr Sunak, the fifth prime minister in just over a decade, after years of austerity and chaos? “Our plan is working.”

If this is what a working plan looks like, we can only dread what another five years of Tory rule would look like.

There’s only one party which can replace the Tories as a government: the Labour Party. A Labour government has never been more needed.

A Labour government will set up GB Energy, based in Scotland, a new publicly owned energy company, creating jobs and cutting energy bills across the country.

This will in part be paid for by a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants, bafflingly opposed by the Tories and SNP despite these mega firms’ rampant profiteering off the back of ordinary people during the cost of living crisis.

Labour will introduce a New Deal for Workers, with legislation introduced within 100 days, and finally boost wages after years of stagnation with an increased minimum wage. 

Exploitative zero-hour contracts will be banned, giving everyone the right to have a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work.

Disgraceful practices such as fire and rehire, which sees employees’ terms and conditions ripped up and undercut, will be banned.

And after years of underinvestment, low productivity and outsourcing of vital jobs to foreign firms, Labour will develop a long overdue industrial strategy to develop new technologies, meet climate targets and build a resilient economy.

As the former MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, I’ve worked and known local Labour candidate Irene Campbell for many years.

She’s a formidable local campaigner who knows the constituency well, having lived here all her life. She has spearheaded plans to reopen the Saltcoats outdoor swimming pool, was previously Chair of North Ayrshire Women’s Aid and has a strong track record working in the NHS locally. 

The SNP has represented this area since 2015. What tangible achievements can be pointed to in that time?

Their MPs at Westminster have offered little, whilst the government they lead at Holyrood has shown a lack of competence and vision in virtually every area of public policy, from health to housing to education, and decimating local services.

This election offers the chance to reject chaos and scandals and vote for change. We will be fighting hard for every vote for the next month as we make the case that only Labour can kick out the Tories and offer something better.