RISHI Sunak has been accused of insulting Scotland after delivering a speech of just 322 words to the Scottish Tory conference.

The Chancellor’s address in Aberdeen lasted two minutes 16 seconds, including Hello.

It had been billed by the Scottish Conservatives as a "keynote speech".

Mr Sunak, who had earlier appeared in person at the UK Conservative spring forum in Blackpool, delivered his message to Scotland via videolink.

The SNP said it had been “nothing short of insulting”, especially as it had failed to mention the current cost of living crisis.

Mr Sunak did however admit his party has presided over a “failed economic model” with “low productivity and deep inequality across our country”.

He said “a new course” was needed to take the country to recovery after the pandemic.

He said he wanted Scotland “to share in, to drive, and to lead” the new levelling up agenda, including through the creation of two new freeports with £52million of Treasury support.

The criticism of the UK economy was risky for Mr Sunak, given the Conservatives have been in power at Westminster since 2010.

The Chancellor said: “Two years ago, we faced the greatest challenge of many of our lifetimes. 

“And in response we pulled together our resources as one United Kingdom to get through it. 

“Together we protected over one million Scottish jobs, provided loans and grants to almost 100,000 Scottish businesses and delivered £14.5 billion in additional funding for Scotland’s public services. 

“When our country needed it most, the might of the UK Treasury was placed at the disposal of every citizen, wherever they lived.  

“And our actions paid off, not only are we now one of the most open societies in Europe but also the fastest growing economy in the G7.”

But he went on: “Yet as we look to the future and continue our recovery, we cannot go back to the failed economic model of the past, with low productivity and deep inequality across our country. 

“We must chart a new course together; one that delivers greater opportunity in every region and every community. 

“That is why this UK Government is committed to levelling up, and we are already taking action. 

“At the Budget, I announced £173m for 13 Scottish projects from Whithorn to Inverness as part of our Levelling Up and Community Ownership funds. 

“£150m for the British Business Bank to help small and medium sized Scottish businesses to grow and access to the £1.4bn Global Britain Investment Fund to secure international investment into Scotland. 

“And just last month we announced up to £52m for the delivery of two Scottish freeports. 

“The UK Government has a plan to deliver opportunity and growth in every part of our country. And it is a plan that we want Scotland to share in, to drive, to lead. 

“After all we have been through, let’s build that brighter, more prosperous future for the whole of the United Kingdom together.”

SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: "In the middle of a crushing cost of living crisis the man who holds the purse strings thinks it's appropriate to devote just a couple of minutes of his time to his own Scottish party conference.

"In a speech stuffed with shameless self-praise, Sunak provided not a single word of comfort or hope to thousands of hard-pressed Scottish families facing increasing financial uncertainty.

"This speech was nothing short of insulting and perfectly demonstrates Westminster Tory disdain for the people of Scotland."

Speaking earlier in Blackpool, the Chancellor said the UK Government would help the public “where we can” with the cost of living crisis but cannot “solve every problem”.

With household budgets being squeezed by food inflation, rising energy bills, record petrol prices and tax rises, Mr Sunak admitted the situation was “difficult” for Britons.

He defended the decision to increase national insurance next month to fund clearing the Covid-19 NHS backlog, arguing he was following in Margaret Thatcher’s footsteps by dealing with the deficit after pandemic borrowing reached highs not seen since WWII.

He is due rto deliver his spring mini-budget next Wednesday. 

He said: “I have enormous sympathy for what people are going through at the moment and that’s why we will always be there to help make a difference where we can.

“I can’t solve every problem, no government can solve every problem, particularly when you are grappling with global inflationary forces – they are somewhat out of my control.” 

Having chosen to increase NICs by 1.25 percentage points in April, he argued it would not have been “economically responsible” not to address the pandemic’s financial hangover.

He said: “That is done. We have made the difficult decisions that we had to make.

“My priority going forward is to cut taxes. I made that very clear at the Budget.”