SCOTLAND'S Finance Secretary has criticised the Tories for scrapping the Autumn Budget, despite pushing ahead with the "long-term disaster" of Brexit.
Kate Forbes highlighted the "irony" of the move after the UK Treasury said "now is not the right time" for the finance plans.
She tweeted: "This decision is breath-taking in its disregard for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. If there is no UK budget, how are devolved Govt meant to set our own budgets? Local Government, the NHS, taxpayers all depend on confirmation of spending and tax plans.
"This is a Government that denies the Scottish Government the most basic of financial flexibilities, despite repeated requests, and now will scrap the main and only source of our funding figures to allow us to set next year's budget.
"The irony of the Tories scrapping the budget (which provides vital certainty for public services and taxpayers) by arguing 'now is not the right time to outline long-term plans' whilst proceeding to implement the long-term disaster that is Brexit."
The irony of the Tories scrapping the budget (which provides vital certainty for public services and taxpayers) by arguing 'now is not the right time to outline long-term plans' whilst proceeding to implement the long-term disaster that is Brexit. https://t.co/0RkPmd2Od8
— Kate Forbes MSP (@KateForbesMSP) September 23, 2020
READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK Autumn Budget scrapped as 'now is not the right time'
SNP MP Drew Hendry said Forbes was "very polite" to use the term "disregard" instead of "contempt".
'Disregard' is very polite. It's really contempt. https://t.co/6QzkmwlG7n
— Drew Hendry MP (@drewhendrySNP) September 23, 2020
The Treasury's statement said: "As we heard this week, now is not the right time to outline long-term plans - people want to see us focused on the here and now.
"So we are confirming today that there will be no Budget this autumn."
The Financial Times said last week that if the Budget was postponed Chancellor Rishi Sunak would probably still deliver a “mini-spending review” this autumn.
Sunak is expected to announce an extension of the furlough scheme in some form tomorrow.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak: Furlough announcement is coming tomorrow afternoon
Taking to Twitter, Sunak wrote: "As our response to coronavirus adapts, tomorrow afternoon I will update the House of Commons on our plans to continue protecting jobs through the winter."
As our response to coronavirus adapts, tomorrow afternoon I will update the House of Commons on our plans to continue protecting jobs through the winter. pic.twitter.com/eP6aqcocxd
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 23, 2020
The Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer is expected to announce an extension of the furlough scheme in some form, after mounting pressure from politicians including Blackford, Scottish Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop, and Citizens Advice Scotland.
WATCH: Ian Blackford has the perfect response to Boris Johnson on furlough scheme
Yesterday, The Guardian reported that Sunak was weighing up a German-style wage subsidy scheme to replace the furlough through the winter.
Under those proposals, companies would pay staff for the time they are at work, while the Treasury would cover part of their wages for time when they have no work.
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