Labour abstention means ‘cheapest budget deal’ since devolution – Findlay
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Scottish Labour abstaining in the vote on the Scottish Government’s Budget amounts to the “cheapest” deal on the tax and spending plans since devolution, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said. Labour leader Anas Sarwar announced this week his party will abstain in the final vote – due at the end of February – effectively green-lighting the Government’s Budget plans.
He went on to say his party will actively back the Budget if ministers agreed to bring forward plans to mitigate the two-child benefit cap by April of this year as opposed to the planned rollout in 2026. Speaking at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “Labour have folded and the Budget will pass, everybody knows that.
“(First Minister John Swinney) must be delighted at the weakness of Scottish Labour. “This has been the cheapest budget deal in 26 years of devolution, and it’s typical Labour, helping the SNP just as they did with Nicola Sturgeon’s gender law and Humza Yousaf’s hate crime Act.”.
Mr Findlay went on to say the decision means the First Minister will not have to “strike any damaging deals with the Greens”, as he asked him if he would rule out tax rises or “extremist policies”. The Scottish Government has committed not to raise tax for the remainder of this Holyrood term.
Responding, Mr Swinney reiterated his assertion that his door is open to other parties ahead of the Budget vote. “I want to have as much agreement as I can possibly construct in this Parliament, supporting the Budget measures so we can all work together, as we have a statutory duty to do, to eradicate child poverty in Scotland,” he said.
