Balls backs campaign to save BlindCraft

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls gave his backing to BlindCraft workers as they demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament.

Employees from the closure-threatened factory, where a large section of the workforce is blind or disabled, marched for more than an hour to take their fight to Holyrood.

Edinburgh Central MSP Sarah Boyack, who walked with them, said it was "unacceptable" for the factory to close, leaving many staff with no hope of another job.

Mr Balls said: "When you have an organisation funded locally to provide that kind of sheltered work opportunity, if you want to know the definition of short-termism and unfairness, it would be to cut their funding."

Communities Minister Alex Neil voiced sympathy for the campaigners and urged them to speak to the council about a possible share of 700,000 funding announced earlier this week for employment projects.