THE SNP has accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of overseeing "a return to Tory austerity cuts" as he delivered the UK Budget. 

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford insisted Mr Sunak had "failed to deliver the meaningful change and investment needed to build a fairer society".

He accused the Conservatives of imposing a public sector pay freeze, "cliff-edge cuts" to Universal Credit and tax rises for millions of workers.

Mr Sunak said Scotland will receive a £1.2 billion boost as a result of his Budget.

READ MORE: Rishi Sunak: Scotland to receive £1.2 billion Budget boost

He said the furlough and self-employment support schemes will be extended until the end of September.

There will also be a six-month extension to the £20 Universal Credit uplift, among other measures.

But Citizens Advice Scotland expressed disappointment that the Chancellor failed to make the Universal Credit uplift permanent. 

Spokeswoman Nina Ballantyne said: "Universal Credit wasn’t enough to live on before the pandemic, and if the uplift ends, whether now or in six months, it will be worth less in real terms than it was when it was first introduced in 2013. 

"If the uplift is removed in October, people on UC face a cash income drop of as much as a quarter."

In a statement after the Budget announcement, Mr Blackford said: "The Tories are threatening Scotland's recovery with a return to austerity cuts, an extreme Brexit, and a Budget that completely failed to deliver the meaningful change and investment needed to build a fairer society.

"The UK has suffered the worst economic slump of any major economy, UK unemployment is rising, and millions of families have seen their incomes slashed - but the Chancellor has added to this misery by imposing a public sector pay freeze, cliff edge cuts to Universal Credit, and tax rises for millions of workers.

READ MORE: Budget 2021: key points of Rishi Sunak's Commons statement

"Covid has exposed the deep inequalities that exist under the broken Westminster system but the Tory Budget failed to address them. 

"A decade of Westminster cuts have pushed 4.2 million children into poverty but there were no measures to reverse the growing Tory child poverty crisis, no plan to raise statutory sick pay or introduce a real Living Wage.

"Millions of people have been left behind by the Tory government throughout the pandemic - and this budget failed to plug the gaps for the three million excluded and failed to deliver a commitment that full 80 per cent furlough support will be available for as long as the devolved nations need it.

"Boris Johnson's extreme Brexit has already cost Scotland's economy £3.94bn and is projected to cost every person the equivalent of £1,600 in added costs, red tape and barriers to trade with Europe but while Ireland is getting €1.05bn from the EU's Brexit mitigation fund - Scotland isn't getting a single penny from the UK government.

"It is clear that Scotland faces a choice of two futures - the long-term damage of Brexit and Tory austerity cuts at Westminster, or the opportunity to protect our place in Europe and build a strong, fair and green recovery as an independent country.

"The issue at the election in May will be this: who has the right to decide what sort of country we should be after the pandemic - the people of Scotland or Boris Johnson?"

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross praised the Budget, describing it as delivering "vast economic support and investment to individuals, businesses and communities across Scotland".

He added: "The Scottish Conservatives worked closely and constructively with the Chancellor in recent months.

"That has now positively delivered on many of our demands that will help Scotland's economic recovery and continue to support those who need it most as restrictions continue."

Despite Mr Blackford's attack on the budget, business groups in Scotland have welcomed some changes, in particular, to the furlough scheme.

Andrew McRae, the Scotland policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the announcements "gives the bulk of Scotland's small business community more fuel to get through the last lap of this crisis".

The Scottish Tourism Alliance also welcomed the extension of furlough, but the chief executive, Marc Crothall, said there needed to be a "robust and tapered financial support package" that is "delivered quickly to the businesses who need it the most".