THE SNP must cut NHS Scotland’s record waiting lists to boost the nation’s economy, Labour Scottish secretary Ian Murray has said.

Speaking at an event at the University of Edinburgh on Friday focused on economic growth in Scotland, Mr Murray challenged the Scottish government to cut NHS Scotland’s record 700,000-strong waiting lists to get people back to work.

Citing Office for National Statistics figures showing sickness absence rates were higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK — as of September, nearly 300,000 Scots were not working as a result of illness: 20,900 for periods under 20 working days and 271,600 for longer — he told the conference: “One of the key reasons why Scotland’s inactivity rate is higher than the rest of the UK is because proportionately more people in Scotland aren’t able to work because of ill health.