Swinney warns voting down SNP budget risks 'feeding forces of anti-politics'

In a speech in Edinburgh today, the First Minister will caution opposition MSPs against embarking “down a path of political posturing and intransigence".

He said voters would struggle to understand why the spending plans were blocked “to prove some nebulous – and ultimately highly damaging - political point”.

The Scottish Government published its draft budget in December, with record NHS investment and a pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap among the headline announcements.

But because the SNP operates a minority administration in Holyrood, it needs the support of MSPs from another political party to pass its spending plans.

Both Labour and the Tories have dismissed the budget as “more of the same”. A deal with the Liberal Democrats is thought to be most likely, although talks are ongoing with the Greens.

In his first speech of the new year, Mr Swinney is expected to say: “If the budget falls, the impact will not be felt primarily, directly, by the MSPs who choose to vote ‘no’. It will be felt by the people in this room and the people you serve.

“Voters will rightly struggle to understand why politicians, despite being in agreement with probably more than 95 per cent of the budget’s contents, choose to block it from passing to prove some nebulous – and ultimately highly damaging - political point.

“We do not have to look far beyond Scotland’s shores to see what happens when politicians and political parties pursue stalemates instead of progress and delivery.

“So be in no doubt. If people do not see Scotland’s parliament delivering progress for Scotland’s people - if instead it embarks down a path of political posturing and intransigence - then we run a real risk of feeding the forces of anti-politics and of populism.

“That is not something I am prepared to countenance in Scotland – because in that circumstance, nobody wins.”

The draft budget is expected to be voted on in the coming weeks.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was “incumbent on opposition parties to try to shape the Budget in a way that will best unpick some of the damage caused by years of SNP neglect”.

He added: “Whether we back the Budget in the final analysis will depend on the detail of the commitments made so far and what progress is offered on other key priorities for us.”

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer said that “if the First Minister is prepared to be bolder, then he will have our support”.

He added: “The Scottish Greens have been constructive and transparent about what we want from the Budget.

“Until now the Scottish Government has been similarly constructive, so this hugely overblown rhetoric from the First Minister is a disappointing way to start the new year.

“We have already secured key Green Budget proposals, including a record £4.9 billion for climate and nature. This is only the start of the process, however, and we certainly won’t be writing the SNP a blank cheque.”

Elsewhere, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will use a speech in Glasgow to vow to "end Scotland’s quango culture and better spend your money" if he wins the next Holyrood election.

He will insist a "growing bureaucratic monster" is draining public money and delivering little in return, and will pledge to end what he called a culture of “jobs for the boys” where politicians evade responsibility and tough decisions are dodged.

Mr Sarwar will argue a Labour government at Holyrood would slash the number of quangos, with £6.6 billion spent on 131 such bodies every year.

These vary widely in scope and power and include areas such as transport, health and culture. They include Education Scotland, Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and NatureScot, among others.

There are around 724 non-departmental public bodies under the UK government.

Speaking ahead of his speech, Mr Sarwar said: “We must squeeze value out of every penny of taxpayers’ money to deliver public services that work. More importantly politicians must stop making excuses and passing the buck - they must take responsibility.

“At the heart of both issues is a growing bureaucratic monster - a sprawling network of unelected public bodies that drain public money and deliver little in return.

“These so-called quangos were created to manage everything from healthcare to education, but far too often they’ve done more to complicate and obstruct than to improve services.

“Scotland spends a jaw-dropping £6.6 billion on these bodies each year. That’s money that could be better spent on improving services for the people of Scotland.”

The MSP said Scotland needs a government “that’s focused on delivering for the people, not a self-serving political class focused on creating jobs for the boys”.

He added: “That’s why a Scottish Labour government will end Scotland’s quango culture and better spend your money.

“As First Minister, I would commit to cutting the red tape, reducing the number of health boards, and streamlining public bodies and pushing power and resources out to your community.

“The buck would stop with me. It’s time to take Scotland in a new direction. A direction where government serves the people, not the other way around.”

There are just over 16 months until the next Holyrood election, with polls showing support for Labour has fallen across the UK.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said Mr Sarwar “should start the new year by taking responsibility for Labour’s shameful decision to break the promises they made voters by inflicting further austerity and cuts on households across Scotland”.