LAST week, Chancellor Philip Hammond released his Autumn Statement, announcing that the UK’s deficit will no longer be cleared by 2020.

What’s more, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the Government will have to borrow £122 billion more than previously forecast in the budget last March as a direct result of the EU referendum.

The Chancellor commented that “any likely Brexit outcome would lead to lower trade flows, lower investment and lower net inward migration... and hence lower potential output”.

All this after six years of failed Tory austerity. The measures announced don’t come close to addressing the uncertainty caused by the Government’s lack of a plan for Brexit and the Chancellor’s report reveals just how damaging a hard Tory Brexit could actually be.

That being said, there are many reasons to remain hopeful this season. One was brought to my attention this week in the form of the ‘16 Days of Action’ campaign. 16 Days is an international effort to totally eliminate all violence against women and girls. It runs each year from November 25 – International Day Against Violence Against Women – until December 10 – International Human Rights Day – and aims to reframe women’s rights as human rights.

We’ve done well over the last several years reducing violence against women here in Scotland and in prosecuting those caught. We can, and must, do much better. I invite you to join me over the next couple of weeks in supporting the 16 Days campaign in Scotland. Information can be found at the 16 Days campaign website, www.16daysofaction.co.uk This Tuesday, I had the pleasure to attend a community Christmas lunch for the over-65s – groups and organisations in East Lothian.

Many congratulations to those at Hickory Food who worked hard to organise the lunch.