Monday was the eighth anniversary of the EU referendum that resulted in Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.

As I touched on in my last column, the SNP is the only party offering a route back into the EU, with both Labour and the Tories wedded to this disastrous Brexit.

This is hitting folk in Scotland hard right now, with high vacancies, costly border checks, higher prices for many goods, more red tape, and a weakened economy.

However, the damage of Brexit is just part of the cost-of-living crisis that is the legacy of the Westminster Tories.

And some of the questions on the doors during the General Election campaign so far have been around what the SNP is doing to support folk.

The answer I give is that the SNP Government has been spending lots of money mitigating the worst of Tory policies, and we have seen this making a difference on the ground.

The cost-of-living crisis has increased levels of destitution across the UK. However, in Scotland, our relative position in terms of destitution has improved, according to a recent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.  It stated that ‘this may indicate the protective effect of devolved policies such as the Scottish Child Payment, Scottish Welfare Fund and mitigation of some cuts to benefits.”

Looking specifically at how this has helped folk in Orkney, 790 children in the islands are benefiting from the Scottish Child Payment, with over 7,700 payments totalling over £1 million.

At the same time, the Scottish Welfare Fund has benefitted over 700 Orkney households, with awards totalling £734,200.

And 165 Discretionary Housing Payments were made in Orkney last year, averaging £755, with most of these being to mitigate the Bedroom Tax.

The SNP has also frozen Council Tax across Scotland, extended free school meal provision and given every local authority in Scotland, including Orkney Islands Council, funding to cancel school meal debt.

These examples indicate how the SNP is already supporting Orkney families against the worst of the cost-of-living crisis. We could do so much more in an independent country.

But in the meantime, SNP MPs returned to Westminster will be demanding an essential guarantee, ensuring that, at minimum, everyone can afford basic necessities like food and utilities.

They will also call for affordable bills for energy, broadband and mobile charges for all who need it.

With electricity costs still unsustainably high – and pushing fuel poverty in Orkney to extreme levels – the SNP will also press for a significant cut in standing charges for all, and removal of standing charges for anyone with a prepayment meter.

Perhaps most relevant to Orkney is the push for a fair energy pricing and rebate scheme for Highlands and Islands residents. This would offer financial relief and offset the higher unit costs of electricity that residents currently face.

These are very much the issues that Robert Leslie has been campaigning on, and a vote for him on 4th July will bring these solutions closer.

This is a regular column by SNP MSP Emma Roddick. All Highlands and Islands Regional MSPs have been offered the same space in The Orkney News to share their personal views.