Nicola Sturgeon raged at Nigel Farage on Monday afternoon, after the Brexit Party leader said he would not stand MPs in seats which were won by the Tories in the 2017 general election. The Scottish First Minister said on Monday it was important to “put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands”. But, on Tuesday, the SNP leader was dealt a huge blow after unemployment in the country rose, just weeks before Brits go to the polls.

Official figures revealed the unemployment level rose by 43,000 to 2,643,000.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of Scots without a job increased by 8.3 percent from July to September.

Unemployment in Scotland was recorded at 110,000 for the quarter – an increase of 8,000 on the previous three months.

And among the working-age population, those aged 16 to 64, the employment rate fell from 75.4 percent to 74.4 percent.

The unemployment rate in Scotland is now 4 percent, compared with 3.8 percent for the UK as a whole.

The Scottish Business Minister Jamie Hepburn blamed “Brexit uncertainty” for the negative impact on “employment in Scotland”.

He said: “The Scottish Government will continue to do all it can to stimulate growth, jobs and investment through the policies set out in our Economic Action Plan and Prepare for Brexit campaign.

“These policies are designed to help build economic resilience by offering grants and advice to support businesses to face the challenges ahead.

“As set out in the Programme for Government, we will continue to make Scotland’s workplaces fairer through our actions to reduce the disability employment gap, tackle the gender pay gap and demonstrate leadership in tackling race inequality in employment.

“Our Future Skills Action Plan supports this ambition and will help ensure Scotland has a skilled and productive workforce which is resilient to future economic challenges.”

During the period, the employment total for the UK as a whole fell by 58,000 – the sharpest decline for more than four years.

Responding to the employment figures in the UK, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chairman Mike Cherry, said the figures “paint a worrying picture of a cooling labour market”.

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Makes it all the more important to get rid of Boris Johnson’s Tories, escape Brexit and put Scotland’s future into Scotland’s hands

Nicola Sturgeon

He said: “Hiring intentions among small businesses have dropped to a two-year low – nine in ten are not planning to increase headcount this quarter.

“Employment costs are spiralling, and are flagged as the number one cause of higher outgoings among small firms. Between pension contributions, rising wages, and national insurance, it’s a real challenge for small businesses to make new hires.”

Mr Cherry claimed “greater assistance” was needed to “manage these costs”, if the next elected government “wants to avoid a full-blown surge in the unemployment rate”.

The figures released come just weeks before Brits will go to the polls on December 12 in the general election.

On Monday, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage made a bold move as he said his party would not stand in the 317 seats won by the Tories in the last general election.

But, the move triggered a furious response from the SNP leader who claimed the Tories had effectively become the Brexit Party.

She wrote on Twitter: “Any form of Brexit that is acceptable to Nigel Farage will be deeply damaging for Scotland.

“Makes it all the more important to get rid of Boris Johnson’s Tories, escape Brexit and put Scotland’s future into Scotland’s hands.

“The Tory party has now effectively become the Brexit party. The SNP is the main challenger in all of their Scottish seats.

“Defeating the Tories here will help deprive Boris Johnson’s increasingly extreme and right wing party of the majority they crave.”

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