Mhairi Black: Corbyn is spreading 'fear and utter drivel about an independent Scotland'

The SNP's Mhairi Black has said she is "disappointed" with Jeremy Corbyn since he became Labour leader, attacking him for spreading "fear and utter drivel" about how an independent Scotland would exist.

Speaking at the SNP conference in Glasgow, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South said she was originally was excited by the prospect of Corbyn as Labour leader as she considered him "someone normal and sensible to work with" in Westminster.

However, in a typically rousing speech from Britain's youngest MP, Black reeled off a list of reasons why she has been let down by Corbyn over the past two years, including not promising to scrap enough of the Tory government's austerity measures and not pledging to get rid of the Trident nuclear programme.

Speaking at Glasgow's SEC Centre, Black described how she is "so disappointed" in Corbyn, saying he is now "more of the same London spin and nothing more than talking a good game".

She added: "If you're going to call for an end to austerity, don't release a manifesto scrapping only £2bn out of a total £9bn worth of planned Tory cuts. Don't tell the vulnerable that you're fighting for them while you choose to keep 78% of Tory cuts.

"Don't tell young people you'll scrap tuition fees but turn a blind eye to Labour who hike them up in Wales.

"Don't tell us you're different and then still sign up to waste billions of pounds on nuclear weapons.

"Don't come to Scotland like so many before and condescend us by claiming that the Scottish Government with 15% of welfare powers can somehow undo Tory austerity when your party voted against devolving the real powers that matters."

Black added: "But most of all... don't dare spread fear and utter drivel about an independent Scotland meaning we would suffer turbo austerity because while you're doing that our Scottish government is saddled with paying £453.8m mitigating and protecting people from the very worst of the Tory policies that we never voted for in the first place – and they have a cheek to say it's our fault.

Black added: "I am sick to the back teeth of British nationalists perpetuating the myth that Scotland could not afford to thrive in the world as an independent nation.

"Let's be clear, Scotland is a hugely wealthy country with unbelievable potential. Google it if you don't believe me.

"Why would Westminster want to keep us if we were genuinely were a financial burden on the purse strings of the United Kingdom?"