SNP must be honest about its financial mess, Keir Starmer says

Sir Keir Starmer has challenged SNP ministers at Holyrood to be “honest about the financial mess” their party has created after 17 years in power in Scotland.

The prime minister hit out at the Scottish government as he conceded his own administration is having to make “tough decisions” – such as not giving the winter fuel payment to all pensioners.

Sir Keir insisted while his Labour government at Westminster is “not walking past the mess the Tories have left for us”, SNP ministers are failing to be honest about the financial situation.

He launched his attack as he spoke to Scottish lobby journalists at Downing Street, with the briefing coming in the wake of a report from independent experts at the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) which warned the Scottish government will have to make “difficult decisions to balance the budget”.

The SFC highlighted the impact of decisions made by the Holyrood government on matters such as public sector pay, with the suggestion that deals agreed by ministers could “further increase pressure” on budgets not just this year but in years to come.

Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has however said the UK government is causing “uncertainty” for ministers at Holyrood – saying she does not yet know if she will get the £150 million cash promised to Scotland as a consequence of Labour ending the VAT exemption for private schools.

Here Sir Keir insisted the UK government will “follow through on the wider commitments for Scotland as you would expect”.

But he attacked the SNP government at Holyrood over its financial record, saying: “We are being honest about the inheritance that we have got, we are not walking past the mess that the Tories have left for us.

"We are taking the tough decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions.”

The Scottish government has accused Sir Keir of continuing the Conservatives’ record on austerity – but the Prime Minister hit back, saying: “I think it is time the SNP were honest about the mess that they actually made for themselves.

“They have been in power for 17 years, they are desperately flailing around trying to blame a Government of eight weeks for the mistakes they have made.

“You saw this from the Scottish Fiscal Commission about the responsibility the SNP have for their own finances.

“So just as we are being honest about our inheritance and honest about the difficult decisions we have had to make, it is time the SNP were honest about the financial mess which is of their own making from the last 17 years.”

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In contrast, he said his Government offers a “big message of hope”, despite having had to make decisions which “appear gloomy and hard”.

Sir Keir insisted: “There is massive hope in this, what we want to do, the change we want to bring about is massive.

“It is to make sure the economy is not only growing but growing across the whole of the United Kingdom, including in Scotland, which will be measured in living standards rising, people feeling better off in a material way.”

However he added: “What I don’t want is the false hope, pretending things will be better but not doing the hard yards.”

Scotland’s Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “The SNP Government has delivered a balanced budget in every year that we have been in office, and we will continue to do so.

“I am proud to serve in a government which is investing to lift children in Scotland out of poverty, and is ensuring our police, our nurses and our teachers are the best-paid in the UK.

“Westminster austerity is unsustainable and is having a huge impact on public services and living standards – once upon a time Labour agreed with the SNP on this fact.

“For months, Labour refused to be honest with voters that their spending plans would lead to billions of pounds of cuts to public services – despite repeated warnings from the SNP.

“Now, following the Chancellor’s announcement of £22 billion of cuts, Scotland faces the most challenging financial situation in the history of the reconvened Scottish Parliament.”

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