SNP makes pledge to older voters

Nicola Sturgeon has been campaigning in Edinburgh South

The SNP has claimed Conservatives cannot be trusted to care for older people, after they revealed plans to remove the pensions "triple lock".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, campaigning in Edinburgh South, said her party would retain the mechanism which determines annual increases.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson stressed her commitment to the Union and opposition to independence.

Labour's Kezia Dugdale has spoken out against the gender pay gap.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have been encouraging young people to vote.

Ms Sturgeon made a series of commitments to older voters including retaining the pension triple lock, maintaining winter fuel payments, and opposing any increase of the state pension age beyond 66.

She said: "It's really important at this election that Scotland has strong voices at Westminster, that we've got MPs standing up against Tory cuts and protecting our interests.

"We've seen from the Tory manifesto this week that this is a party that wants to continue with austerity, take protections away from pensioners, and pursue an extreme Brexit, and all of that has serious implications for Scotland.

"So we must make sure, probably now more than ever, that we've got strong voices. So even if you don't agree with the SNP on everything, my message is vote SNP to make sure Scotland's voice is heard."

The Scottish Conservative leader was campaigning for the Union

The Scottish Conservatives have launched a poster campaign against a second independence referendum.

Speaking in Edinburgh South West, Ruth Davidson said: "People have had enough of the constant discussions about the constitution. There is a way to stop this.

"If we can lead the fightback against the SNP at this general election, we can stop it for good.

"So help us at this general election, send a message to the SNP that we've had enough of this constitutional division."

Pay gap

Kezia Dugdale, who has been campaigning in East Lothian, highlighted Scottish Labour's concerns about the gender pay gap.

She said: "A new report showed us that women are going to earn £60,000 less than their male counterparts over their lifetime. That's fundamentally unjust and Labour wants to tackle it.

"So we would force companies that want to pay women less than men to demonstrate that to the public so that we can literally shame them into doing things differently.

"But this is also about making sure that we help women access the jobs of the future, and that's about tackling some of the stigma in science, technology, engineering and maths."

Campaigning for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton highlighted the importance of younger voters.

He said: "We've been at the Green Investment Bank today, and outside there talking to young voters in particular - we're trying to encourage young people to register to vote, obviously that deadline is approaching.

"But also to remind people people that the Green Investment Bank was a Lib Dem policy, delivered in coalition, which is an example of a green policy which has been rolled back by the Conservative party, in terms of commitment to reducing carbon, to investing in renewable technologies, and an example of exactly the sort of platform that Lib Dems stand on, so that we leave the world we inhabit for the next generation in a better state than we found it."