John Swinney warns opposition MSPs: No collaboration, no budget

First Minister John Swinney has urged the opposition parties to engage with his government on the budget ahead of its publication next week.

Speaking in Edinburgh, he said this budget was an opportunity to “deliver real and lasting progress” but this will require politicians in Holyrood working together.

Finance secretary Shona Robison will deliver the budget next Wednesday, the first since 2021 where the Scottish Government does not already have a majority.

Ministers therefore require the support – or abstention – of at least one other party to get the legislation passed.

The first minister said “no political party is a mere bystander” in the process, and said MSPs “should be seen as partners”.

He added: “Opposition for opposition's sake is all well and good where governments have comfortable majorities, but put simply in the Scottish Parliament today, if there is no collaboration, then there is no budget.”

Negotiations over the budget have been taking place informally with all parties since September.

Labour and the Conservatives are unlikely partners for the government, and Alba’s Ash Regan’s single vote would not be enough to secure a parliamentary majority. The focus is therefore on the Greens or Liberal Democrats.

Swinney said asks from opposition parties were being given “great consideration”, as were requests from wider civic Scotland.

He said: “Next week's budget will bear the fruits of that collective, collaborative effort.

“When the finance secretary, Shona Robison, presents the budget, my challenge to the other members of the Scottish Parliament is this: we can choose to be mired in party politics or we can choose, first and foremost, our duty to the people we represent.

“We can act with wisdom in the collective good. We can advance the prospects of the people of Scotland, but only if we are prepared to reach agreement to do so.”

Robison’s statement will set out the government’s proposals for its tax and spending plans for 2025/26. A Budget Bill giving effect to this will be laid before parliament in the new year.

The first vote on the bill will take place in February, and amendments due to any deal with other parties will be made at stage two.

The Lib Dems have called for extra funding for social care, mental health and local government, and for no cash to go towards Scottish independence-related matters.

The Greens are seeking money for free school meals, local government and nature restoration, as well as a series of tax changing including a demolition levy, a mansion tax and a private jet tax. The party has also said government must not axe spending on independence planning.

Responding to the first minister's speech today, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “The budget must start to undo the damage that the SNP has done with years and years of punishing tax rises.

“We’ve set out fully costed proposals to reduce taxes for aspirational workers and businesses. If the SNP want to talk about tax cuts, they know where we are, but we suspect they’re working up another grubby deal with the Greens that hammers Scots with higher bills.”