A Budget for Scotland’s People: SNP must produce a four year plan

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's Scottish Labour debate on A Budget for Scotland's People, Derek Brownlee MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth, said:

"The SNP talk about public sector reform but it seems to have all been deferred until after the election. If the SNP's budget is a short term measure to get them through the election then Scotland will be the loser. There is no reason why, having learned the consequences of the next four years from the UK Government, the SNP Government could not have produced a four year budget.

"The First Minister has no excuse. For months he claimed he cannot produce a budget without knowing the final totals within which he would have to operate. That was a reasonable position to take, but now he has the totals for each year until 2014/15, he has no reason not to produce a Scottish spending review to provide clarity to the public sector on funding for the medium term.

"Simply because Alex Salmond doesn't like having to make savings doesn't absolve him of responsibility for doing so. If he won't produce figures beyond 2011/12, there are only two explanations – either that he doesn't expect to be in office in the next Parliament, or that he is terrified of the electoral consequences of being honest with the public about what he intends to do if he is."

Back to all posts