Russell Findlay 'all ears' to Scottish budget talks with FM

Asked by The Herald if he will do a deal with the Scottish Government to pass the budget in December, Mr Findlay said: “As much as it pains me to say so, I do think that the romance between Patrick Harvie and John Swinney is not over. 

“I think that for all the Bute House Agreement is dead in the water, in all likelihood, the SNP will turn to their friends in the Greens because they follow the same agenda - it’s about how you can get more tax and put more red tape in the way of business growth.” 

However, Mr Findlay added that if First Minister John Swinney is “serious about common sense Conservative proposals for the budget, then I’m all ears.”

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The Scottish Conservative leader said the tax landscape needs to be simplified and the Scottish Government should “at least consider” removing the 21 pence burden on middle earners - those who earn between £26,562 and £43,662 -  if they are serious about striking a deal with his party over the Scottish budget. 

Since the SNP governs as a minority administration, finance secretary Shona Robison needs to get backing from opposition MSPs for her financial proposals on December 4.

Initial discussions have taken place with all the other parties with a new round of talks to take place in the coming weeks. 

During his first major speech as Scottish Conservative leader, Mr Findlay made his pitch for a smaller state and lowering taxes for working people in Scotland. 

Speaking to a crowd of party members and journalists in Edinburgh, Mr Findlay - who took over as party leader last month - said: “The trust between the public and politicians has broken down because people pay more in tax every year for services that only get worse.

“People only ever hear Holyrood talk of how much more they should pay – never how much less they could pay if government was more efficient.

"People burst a gut to make a better life for their family only to be told by politicians earning twice the average rate that they need to cough up even more.”

Mr Findlay also said there must be an end to “the freebie culture the SNP have fuelled”, by considering proposals such as taking away free prescription from those who can afford to pay and reconsidering “the amount of university degrees…which don’t offer young people any improved prospects and employment.”

 Asked if he would support an end to universal free tuition, Mr Findlay said "nothing should be off the table". 

Mr Findlay also insisted his party is “not lurching to the right”. Instead, he said views such as believing free bus travel for asylum seekers should be scrapped when pensioners are losing out on winter fuel payments is “common sense to mainstream Scotland”. 

He said Holyrood has become “an echo chamber for posturing and preening student politics” and the tax gap between Scotland and the UK  "must now begin to narrow so that working people in Scotland are no longer worse off than elsewhere on these islands.” 

The Scottish Conservative leader also said NHS health boards need to be “scrutinised and streamlined”, however, he said he still needs to consult with colleagues before he brings forward detailed proposals on this. 

Criticising the UK chancellor in his speech, Mr Findlay accused her of imposing “sleekit” tax rises on workers. It comes amid reports that Rachel Reeves could freeze tax thresholds in the UK budget on Wednesday, meaning more people will be brought into higher bands as wages increase. Mr Swinney has also refused to rule out similar measures in Scotland.

Asked by The Herald if he is going support Kemi Badenoch in the UK Conservative leadership contest, Mr Findlay reiterated that he would not back a candidate and he “will seek to work with whoever wins”.  His comments come after his deputy leader Rachael Hamilton voiced her support for Ms Badenoch last week. 

Shona Robison said the Scottish Government is currently spending £134 million in this year's budget to "mitigate policies put in place by the previous UK Government". 

The Finance Secretary added:  “I have written to the Chancellor to call for new rules in the UK Budget around borrowing that supports investment in public services. The UK Government should work hand in hand with the devolved administrations to provide the funding to deliver on our priorities.

“Scottish Ministers are keen to build as broad support as possible for the Scottish Budget on 4 December, and a key part of that will be to hear from all the parties how they would seek to fund their proposals and ideas.”

 SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: "The SNP is proud to have introduced the most progressive tax system in the UK, protecting those who earn less and asking those who earn more to contribute more.

“This progressive approach raises additional revenue to invest in our vital public services in the face of continued Westminster austerity and repeated cuts to Scotland’s block grant.”

Mr Gibson said people earning £30,000 a year in Scotland will pay £11 more than those elsewhere in the UK, and added: “In return, they have access to a range of services and social security payments that are not available elsewhere, such as the Scottish child payment, free prescriptions and free higher education.

“The SNP will continue to use the powers it has to deliver real fairness and justice by prioritising investment in public services and tackling poverty.

“It is however only with greater tax and borrowing powers, and ultimately independence, that we can fully protect the people of Scotland and its public services from the chaos of dysfunctional UK governments."

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has insisted the UK budget this week will "end the era of austerity" and provide more cash for "vital" public services. 

Speaking ahead of the budget on Wednesday, Mr Sarwar said the Scottish Government must ensure any additional money for Scotland is not simply used to fill "the black hole" he said was caused by "SNP incompetence". 

Mr Sarwar said: "This will be a Budget that does turn the page on 14 years of Tory chaos, division and decline and does those things that we promised in the election and be a real game changer for Scotland."