Glasgow SNP MSP Bill Kidd has slammed Jim Murphy's comments on unemployment as 'hypocrisy' following revelations that the Scotland Office did nothing to stop Student Loans Company jobs being lost in Glasgow and moving to Darlington.

Responding to the unemployment figures Jim Murphy claimed that "the British Government will work night and day to help people back into work and create the jobs of the future".

Yet a Freedom of Information request has shown that he did nothing to stop or avert the Student Loans Company (SLC) plans to axe up to 150 jobs from the company's sites in Glasgow and Hillington, in Renfrewshire. It was also reported that another 45 posts would be moved from Hillington to Darlington.

Commenting Mr Kidd said: "Jim Murphy’s lack of action on Scottish jobs in Glasgow just exposes how his department is nothing but a tax payer subsidised campaign office for Labour. That money should be used to create jobs and support Scotland, not to talk it down.

"The fact he failed to even act to save Scottish jobs raises serious questions about how he is employing his time as Scottish Secretary. To say nothing about jobs being lost to Scotland exposes the hypocrisy of his statement on unemployment.

"Instead of saving people's jobs in Scotland the only one job he is really concerned about is his own. That is why he spends so much time attacking the SNP despite saying he would ignore us! His fixation is causing serious harm to Scotland and his constituents who he is failing to represent."

Note:

The Freedom of Information requests showing how the Scotland Office did not act over the SLC jobs is available here.