The National:

TRANSPARENCY isn’t the first word that springs to mind when you think of the UK Government.

Dominic Cummings may have gone but it’s still hard to get an honest answer from Tory ministers. We probably shouldn’t be too surprised, given the Prime Minister won’t admit how many children he has.

But the Treasury has taken secrecy to a whole new level.

Yesterday, it issued advanced copies of the Chancellor’s Spending Review before he announced it in the Commons – as is standard practice.

But nothing is ever as straight forward as it seems with this government, as highlighted by Alison Thewliss.

The SNP MP shared what she had been sent by the Treasury – effectively nothing.

That’s because virtually every line of the document had been redacted. It’s understood all opposition MPs received the same ultra-useful document.

A Treasury spokesperson told The National: "There is nothing unusual about opposition parties receiving redacted copies of statements or related documents ahead of time. Redactions are made to protect sensitive or market sensitive information and these advance copies are shared with all of the opposition parties in the House of Commons.”

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It’s fair to say Thewliss was less than impressed when Rishi Sunak’s economic plans were eventually revealed in the Commons.

The Glasgow MP noted that the Government was freezing public sector workers’ pay and cutting international aid funding, while also committing tens of millions of pounds to a celebration to mark the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

“£29m for a festival of Brexit while weans go hungry at home and abroad just about sums this tawdry government up.”

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But the SNP politician wasn’t finished with the Chancellor.

She again took aim at Sunak when he invited the public to ask him questions about the Spending Review on social media.

Bravo, Alison Thewliss.