Budget to bring ‘era of growth’ for Scotland, says Scottish Secretary Murray

Murray said: “No-one should be in any doubt about the scale of the challenge the Labour government inherited when it comes to the public finances.

“The Tories left us a £22bn black hole, emptying the reserves meant for disasters and emergencies three times over.”

Amid speculation the chancellor is to change debt rules to spend billions more, Murray added: “This Budget will herald an era of growth for Scotland, after years of damaging austerity from the Tories, made even worse for Scottish public services by the incompetent SNP.”

Holyrood Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced £500m of savings in September, amid what she described as “enormous and growing pressure on the public finances”.

But Murray insisted a “chaotic SNP” had been forced into “emergency in-year cuts”.

He said: “While Labour cleans up 14 years of Tory mess, the SNP created a mess of their own making, having wasted £5bn over their years in office due to their own buy now, pay later policies.

“For three consecutive years, services have endured emergency in-year cuts from the chaotic SNP.

“Labour will end this short-term, populist politics and fix the foundations for the long-term. There will be no return to austerity.

“The SNP must ensure any additional funding for public services reaches the front line, bringing down waiting lists in the NHS and raising attainment in our schools – it can’t be used to plug the gaps. Scots rightly expect results.”