SNP say Osborne has already failed

Border
Cumbria
Scotland
Dumfries and Galloway
Wednesday 16 March 2016 at 10:30am

Credit: PA

The Scottish National Party has highlighted that Chancellor George Osborne has failed to meet his own targets on debt, deficit and borrowing ahead of today's 2016 Budget.

He is now expected to admit failure on trade and export figures too.

SNP Deputy Leader and Economy spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP has called on the Chancellor to abandon his damaging austerity policies and invest to grow the economy.

As we enter the seventh year of Tory budget cuts that Scotland never voted for, we can expect a repetition of the same record of failure that we have seen year after year from this Chancellor. “This is a Chancellor who remains stubbornly wedded to his failed austerity project – continuing to cut tens of billions more than is necessary to run a balanced budget – despite all the damage that it has done to the economy, our public services and the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. “Both the IMF and the OECD have said that the Chancellor has scope to invest – we agree and its time he did just that. “The SNP will continue to advocate a sensible economic plan that prioritises investment, exports, productivity and innovation. A plan that seeks to support our key industries like manufacturing and oil and gas. A progressive alternative to Tory austerity to build a stronger and more prosperous economy that works in the interests of all, and not just the few.”