Holyrood’s Finance Secretary has insisted her Budget for the coming year will “put the people of Scotland first” and will lay the “foundations for long-term success” for the country.
Shona Robison spoke out ahead of unveiling her tax and spending plans for 2025-26 to MSPs, claiming these would help tackle the climate emergency as well as delivering on the “people’s priorities”, such as tackling child poverty and improving public services.
The Scottish Finance Secretary said: “Unlike the UK Government’s Budget which treated Scotland like an afterthought, today we will publish a Budget that puts the people of Scotland first.”
She added the Scottish Government had “listened carefully to the needs and priorities of organisations and businesses, and the people of Scotland”, vowing the Budget “will deliver for them by building on the positive change we’ve delivered for Scotland, creating more jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets”.
SNP ministers have already confirmed plans to use some funding to restore a universal winter fuel payment for older Scots in 2025-26, with pensioners north of the border to receive at least £100 next winter, though some will receive £300.
Ms Robison, meanwhile, insisted the Budget “delivers progress for Scotland, by Scotland, laying the foundations for long-term success”.
Ahead of her statement to Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon she will visit energy firm Logan Energy in Wallyford, East Lothian, which is currently installing a hydrogen refuelling station for buses in Aberdeen.
Ms Robison pledged the Budget will “invest in measures to tackle the climate emergency in a way that maximises opportunities to create jobs and provide new economic opportunities for businesses and communities”.
She also stressed First Minister John Swinney’s focus on “delivering on people’s priorities – eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, improving public services like our NHS, and tackling the climate emergency”.
With the SNP in a minority administration at Holyrood, Ms Robison and Mr Swinney need to persuade MSPs from at least one other party to back their Budget when it comes back to Holyrood to be voted on next year.
Labour insisted the Scottish Government must use its record block grant to improve public services such as schools and the NHS.
Party finance spokesman Michael Marra made clear that rather than back a “bad Budget” Labour would vote against the Government and seek to bring about a snap Holyrood election.
“Scottish Labour will fight an election before backing a bad Budget and subjecting Scots to another year of SNP misery.”
The Tories called on the Scottish Government to cut taxes, with previous budgets having increased income tax for higher-earning Scots, leaving them paying more than their counterparts south of the border.
Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy argued this year is “a chance for the SNP to set a new direction on tax and spend to deliver growth in the economy”.
He added: “For 17 years, the nationalists have failed Scotland by making people pay more and get less. Bills have increased while hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted and public services have declined sharply.
The Liberal Democrats, regarded as one of the more likely parties to do a deal with the Scottish Government, have said ministers must axe any spending on independence from their Budget plans for next year.
Party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said on Tuesday his party is “still some considerable distance” from reaching an agreement with the SNP.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens said they would only support a “progressive Budget that delivers for people and planet”.
Party finance spokesman Ross Greer questioned if Mr Swinney’s Government would deliver this “or will his Government move further to the right and cave in to the Liberals’ anti-democratic demand that the Scottish Government no longer even talk about independence”.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Chancellor’s Budget fixed the foundations of the UK economy and delivered change for working people in Scotland, protecting their payslips from higher taxes while delivering more money than ever before for Scotland’s public services.
“People in Scotland would rightly expect the Scottish Government to use its record £47.7 billion settlement to deliver on their priorities, including creating good jobs and making people in Scotland better-off.”
