Glasgow as bad as the Gaza Strip, says SNP leader

By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Editor A furious row has broken out over claims that the Scottish Nationalists compared an impoverished area of Glasgow hosting a crucial by-election to the Gaza Strip. Labour lambasted Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, for arguing that life expectancy in Glasgow East is lower than in the war torn territory in the Middle East. He suggested the legacy of decades of Labour rule is that men in the constituency live on average four years less than those in the in the Palestinian territory, which in March was subjected to air strikes. But Labour seized on the comments as a "slur" and "hugely insulting" and called on Mr Robertson to apologise to residents for talking down the area. A series of tit-for-tat arguments broke out as the by-election campaign started to crank up, even... [read full story]