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Carwyn Jones 'should come clean' about £4bn Scottish budget cut says SNP

The First Minister of Wales should tell Scottish voters that he'd be prepared to see £4bn cut from Scotland's budget to boost the funding Wales receives, according to the SNP. Carwyn Jones will make the case for remaining part of the United Kingdom in a speech in Edinburgh this evening.

The SNP has highlighted the First Minister's repeated calls for fairer funding for Wales by reforming the Barnett formula which works out how much of a share of UK spending devolved nations should received.

But the SNP's Linda Fabiani says that if Scotland remains part of the UK after next year's Independence referendum and the formula is changed it will mean a cut of £4bn. She says Carwyn Jones should make that clear.

Carwyn Jones has never been shy about his desire to change the Barnett formula in a way that would disadvantage Scotland.The Welsh First Minister has the perfect opportunity to use his visit to Scotland to spell out to people here just how much he wants Scotland’s budget cut by if there is a No vote next year.

With a Welsh Commission suggesting that Scotland’s funding could be cut by a staggering £4 billion in a single year, these are major cuts that are being proposed which would have a devastating impact on communities across Scotland.

Scotland already more than pays its own way in the UK, but the dismal future being offered by the No campaign would see people in Scotland disadvantaged even further.

With all of the UK parties lining up to cut Scotland’s budget if there’s a No vote, only the full powers of an independent Scotland will ensure that all of Scotland’s resources are used to benefit people living here.

The fairest solution for everyone is for Scotland to gain full control over our own tax and spending decisions and only a Yes vote next year will secure that for people in Scotland.

– Linda Fabiani MSP, SNP