Scottish Budget set to pass as Anas Sarwar confirms Labour will abstain

The Scottish Government’s budget is set to pass after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar confirmed his party will abstain.

He claimed the SNP already “has the numbers” to ensure the Budget Bill is passed when it comes to a vote next month, with one other opposition party expected to support it.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Sarwar said: “At this current stage, we will abstain on this budget because this budget’s going to pass anyway. It has the votes from at least one other opposition political party – so we are not going to vote against this budget, we will abstain from this budget.”

He also said his party could still vote for the budget if Scottish ministers mitigate the two-child benefit cap this year.

Finance secretary Shona Robison pledged last month that the Scottish Government would aim to scrap the cap, which limits benefits to the first two children in a family, in 2026.

No money has been set aside in this current budget to do so as it is not expected to come into effect in the 2025-26 financial year.

Sarwar has accused ministers of “pretending” that the mitigation is part of this budget. He added: “If they actually put the ending of the two-child benefit cap into this budget, and lift it on 1 April, we will vote for the budget.”

Responding to Sarwar’s comments, Robison said: “Only a few months ago, Anas Sarwar’s Scottish Labour MPs were queuing up to keep the two-child cap in place – yet now he agrees it should be mitigated in Scotland as soon as possible.

“Mr Sarwar has said that Scotland needs change – but he seems to have reflected over the holidays and decided that it is he who needs to change.

“However, people in Scotland will never forgive the Labour Party if it does not vote for the reintroduction of a winter fuel payment and the ending of the two-child cap.”

As a minority administration, the SNP alone does not have the votes to pass a budget. It requires either the support from one other opposition party or for an opposition party to abstain.

Negotiations have been taking place with all opposition parties. Reports have suggested either the Greens or Lib Dems are minded to support or abstain.

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said there was “no deal at present” but talks were ongoing.

He said: “You can already see significant Liberal Democrat demands baked into the pages of the budget’s first draft. There is the reinstatement of the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners, spending on social care, affordable homes, family carers, additional support needs, GPs, dentists, long covid, the Belford Hospital in Fort William and Edinburgh’s Eye Pavilion.

“There is no deal at present, our support is not guaranteed, but we continue to negotiate with the government and expect more talks in the coming days.”

The Scottish Conservatives have accused Sarwar of being “spineless”. Finance spokesperson Craig Hoy said: “Scottish Labour and its weak leadership are so disconnected from the Scottish people and communities that they are unwilling to vote against an SNP budget that once again fails to do anything to address their failures over the last 18 years.”