Meeting of the Parliament 25 February 2026 [Draft]
No wonder Mr Swinney wants to shout his opponents down. He knows that we are backed by independent analysts who are saying that this is a bad budget for Scotland.
Shona Robison has robbed Scotland’s colleges blind for the past half-decade, but she now claims to be riding to their rescue and expects them to be grateful when she returns some of the cash that the SNP has stolen in recent years.
The Government is being equally economical with the facts on health spending. The IFS warns that the overall health and social care budget for day-to-day spending is set to increase by just 0.2 per cent in real terms in the coming year. However, after planned transfers to councils for social care wage increases, funding for other health and social care services is set to fall by 0.6 per cent in real terms.
Ultimately, the Scottish Government says that it can take the budget to the country, but I believe that people will see through the smoke and mirrors. The harsh reality is that the budget will pass because of the spineless complacency of other parties in this place. Even now, it is not too late for them to see sense, to take their heads out of the sand and to side with the Scottish Conservatives in supporting decisive action to tackle the SNP’s bloated benefits bill, to cut tax and to properly fund productive public services. However, they will not do so because, on the fundamental challenges that Scotland faces, it is increasingly clear that Labour, the Lib Dems and now Reform are in opposition to this SNP Government in name only. On 7 May, that fact will not be lost on ordinary, hard-working Scots, who will have to pick up the bill for yet another bad SNP budget.