HOLYROOD ERUPTS DURING HIGH NOON BUDGET DEBATE

By Bill Heaney

Tory leader Russell Findlay used all the tabloid rhetoric at his disposal on Thursday to defend his party’s decision to refuse to support the Scottish Budget for 2025-26.

The former Sunday Mail foot-in-the-door journalist had the Holyrood chamber in uproar when he confronted First Minister John Swinney with the accusation that it was he – and not anyone else – who was playing into the hands of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.

“But, in the mind of Scotland’s populist First Minister, that is a price we must all pay to defeat the shadowy forces of populism. Was it John Swinney’s new year’s resolution to distract people from his failings by making ludicrous claims such as that one?”

The First Minister was up for the fight. He said: “I can see the shadowy face of populism right in front of me just now. I say that a budget that protect businesses from a challenging trading environment, delivers a real-terms increase in local government funding, invests to reform and improve the national health service, gives a huge boost to housing investment, takes steps to eradicate child poverty and invests in a clean, green transition for the Scottish economy and environment is a budget worth supporting. Mr Findlay should come to his senses and vote for the Government’s budget.”

Russell Findlay refused to back off. He told MSPs: “It is really something to hear John Swinney, of all people, preaching against populism. He is the leader of Scotland’s populist party—the party of blaming others, of sowing division and of fantasy promises of easy fixes.”

The Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone, leaded for calm – “Let us hear Mr Findlay.”

But Russell Findlay continued with his rant: “John Swinney sounds like a serial arsonist suddenly warning people about the risk of fire. However, despite his ridiculous rhetoric, his budget will pass because of the votes of Anas Sarwar’s Labour Party, so I ask John Swinney: what sweeteners did he have to give Labour in exchange, or did Anas Sarwar just hand him a blank cheque?”

First Minister John Swinney, Russell Findlay, Conservative leader, Patrick Harvie, of the Green Party and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.

The mild-mannered Mr Swinney was having none of it. He said: “My speech on Monday was designed to set out the very serious issues that Scotland will face if the budget does not pass. We must have cool heads and a clear process to go through to secure agreement on the Government’s budget, because all that I said on Monday will come to pass if there is no agreement on the budget.

“A process is under way within the Scottish Parliament to agree that and we are engaging in constructive discussions with all parties. I made it clear on Tuesday that, despite the comments that Mr Sarwar made on the radio that day, I do not in any way take the passage of the budget for granted.

“That is why this Government will fulfil, under my direction, its duty to engage constructively with all parties to secure a parliamentary majority and to ensure that we can deliver progress for Scotland.”

However, Russell Findlay was like a newshound with a scoop in the making – “Who is John Swinney trying to kid? Labour have folded and the budget will pass. Everyone knows that and he must be absolutely delighted by the weakness of Scottish Labour. This has been the cheapest budget deal in 26 years of devolution and it is typical of Labour to help the SNP, just as it did with Nicola Sturgeon’s gender law and Humza Yousaf’s hate crime act.”

He added: “At least that means that John Swinney will not have to strike any damaging deals with the Greens, as he has so often done in the past. Can he now rule out any new taxes or extremist policies that the Greens demand?”

The First Minister replied: “I have made it clear, as the finance secretary did in the budget statement in December, that the Government’s tax proposals will not change from what is in the budget and that there will be no further tax changes from this Government in advance of the 2026 elections. I hope that that gives some tax certainty, if Mr Findlay is genuinely seeking that clarity.

“As for dialogue with other political parties, I go back to what I said in my previous answers. The Government’s door remains open for dialogue about the contents of the Government’s budget, because I want to have as much agreement as I can possibly construct in this Parliament to support the budget measures so that we can all work together, as we have a statutory duty to do, to eradicate child poverty in Scotland. The support of any member who is willing to help the Government in our efforts to eradicate child poverty will be welcomed by me.”

Russell Findlay said: “The first part of John Swinney’s answer sounded like bad news for Patrick Harvie [leader of the Green Party] but the second part was a bit less clear, so we will have to wait and see.

“After almost two decades in power, John Swinney also said this week that he wants his budget to be ‘a turning point’, but what is it that he wants to turn away from? Is it all the times that he demanded to break up the United Kingdom? Is it the ferries that he wasted a fortune on? Is it the gender reforms that he backed? Is it the damage that he did to schools, or is it Nicola Sturgeon’s toxic legacy?

“John Swinney was the driving force behind every damaging SNP policy for the past 18 years. This budget is not a turning point. Is it not just more of the same divisive, populist nonsense from John Swinney and the SNP?”

But the First Minister told him: “I think that the budget has touched a bit of a raw nerve with the Conservatives. I will tell Mr Findlay a few things about the Government’s budget. Save the Children has encouraged ‘all political parties in the Scottish Parliament to support the budget so children can benefit from the positive steps taken’.

“The Scottish Retail Consortium said: ‘Whilst the proposed Scottish Budget is far from perfect”—[there were more Interruptions and loud desk banging at this point].

The First Minister continued: “The Scottish Retail Consortium said: ‘Our hope is that ministers and MSPs can work collegiately to pass the Budget’.

“In addition, Shelter Scotland has welcomed the Government’s investment in affordable housing, and local government has indicated that the budget represents a strong investment package.

“There we have it. The views of child poverty organisations, business, local government and the housing sector in Scotland demonstrate that this is a budget for unity in Scotland. It is not a surprise that the populist Conservatives are having nothing to do with it.”

Top of page: The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh.