Douglas McAllister

Yes, I agree. The SNP is not here this afternoon, but this Budget means that the Scottish Government are receiving more per person than equivalent spending in the rest of the UK. The SNP just needs to get better at spending it. Scots can see that the SNP has lost its way and is out of ideas, and that its Ministers are incompetent and as bad with their money as they are for taxing us more and giving us less. Figures released today for the past month reveal the scale of the crisis: the Scottish NHS is flagging on multiple fronts. The number of operations cancelled due to hospital capacity rose to the highest level since August 2022. Delays to patient discharge rose to an average of 29 days, while thousands of Scots attending A&E waited more than eight hours to be seen. There were 50,000 fewer planned operations in the past 12 months than at the same point before the pandemic. The new money that the Government announced in the Budget should not be diverted by the Scottish Government. They must spend every penny of the extra NHS cash on Scotland’s ailing health service, and use the boost of billions of pounds to cut waiting lists. The message should be clear: they have the power and they now have the money, so no more excuses and no more hiding places. They must get the money to the frontline and get the one in six Scots off the hospital waiting lists. This is a very good Budget for Scotland, but only if, finally, the Scottish Government are able to display a semblance of economic competence. But not for too long—just until 2026, when the people of Scotland get to complete the job of getting rid of both the failing Tories and the SNP.