SNP Government bids for Green support to pass Budget by promising to tackle climate emergency

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The SNP Government has promised its Budget will "invest in measures to tackle the climate emergency" in a bid to secure support from the Scottish Greens.

Shona Robison, the Finance Secretary, will today announce Holyrood's draft spending plans for the year ahead amid growing unhappiness at the state of public services.

Speaking before her eagerly-awaited statement at the Scottish Parliament, the SNP veteran drew a direct link between the Budget and the need to protect the environment.

The Nationalists lack a majority at Holyrood and must win support from at least one other party to pass their spending plans.

A previous powersharing deal between the SNP and Greens was terminated in controversial circumstances by then first minister Humza Yousaf in April.

But Robison is hoping action on the climate will secure support from the environmentalists. "This will be a Budget that delivers progress for Scotland, by Scotland - laying the foundations for long-term success," she said.

"We 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.

"Our ambition is for Scotland’s green energy to be central to the decarbonisation of transport and industry at home and abroad, and for our expertise and innovation to be providing climate solutions, like Logan Energy, that are made in Scotland and sold to the world.

“The First Minister has made clear his focus on delivering on people’s priorities – eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, improving public services like our NHS, and tackling the climate emergency.

"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."

Scottish Labour has said it would rather trigger an early Holyrood election than vote for what it described as a "bad Budget".

The SNP Government has the advantage of an improved fiscal position after UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves handed it an additional £1.5 billion next year, and a further £1.9 billion in 2025-26.

Michael Marra, the party's finance spokesman, said: "This budget is an opportunity to turn the page on 17 years of SNP failure – anything else will not do. Every single institution in Scotland has been left weaker by SNP mismanagement and waste.

"Our NHS is dangerously overstretched, with almost 1 in 6 Scots stuck on an NHS waiting list – but the SNP has no plan to fix this mess.

"Our education system is falling down the international league tables, our justice system is in chaos and trust in public institutions is collapsing.

"More of the same will not cut it – Labour has delivered record levels of funding for Scotland and the SNP must use it to deliver a genuine change in direction.

"Scottish Labour will fight an election before backing a bad budget and subjecting Scots to another year of SNP misery."

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