What an inveterate liar Darling is Labour MP Alistair Darling is facing ridicule after claiming that Scotland does not currently have to make any spending cuts as part of the UK. Mr Darling, who leads the anti-independence campaign, was responding to new figures which show Scotlands budget deficit is now narrowly greater than that of the UK, after having been lower for several years. Yesterdays GERS report showed that infrastructure spending and reduced oil revenue due to lower tax take, had hit the Scottish budget in year 2012/13. The figures showed that currently, the budget deficit of the UK was slightly better than that of Scotland, with only 0.1% separating the two. The change followed a five year period during which Scotlands budget deficit, at 4.3%, had been markedly lower than the UK. However the temporary increase in the Scottish budget deficit brought claims from those opposing independence that Scotland would be forced to cut public spending if independent. Better Together leader Alistair Darling went further and insisted that Scotland does not currently have to make any spending cuts as part of the UK. Commenting on the GERS figures, Mr Darling said if Scotland was independent today we would have no option but to cut spending on services like schools and hospitals or put up taxes – or probably both. Today as part of the UK we dont have to do that. The claim from the former Labour Chancellor was immediately ridiculed by the SNP, with MSP Jamie Hepburn describing it as bizarre. Commenting, Mr Hepburn said: Alistair Darlings claim that Scotland is not experiencing cuts as part of the UK is beyond belief. It is an incredible slap in the face for the tens of thousands of people in Scotland struggling with Westminsters cuts and utterly divorced from reality.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:02:04 +0000
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