LABOUR have been accused of being “rattled” when they were called out in the wake of the Spring Budget for ditching their flagship green spending plans.
SNP economy spokesperson Drew Hendry skewered Labour for their “abandonment of the just transition” by scrapping a major commitment to spend £28 billion a year on green infrastructure if they came to power.
Responding to the Spring Budget unveiled on Wednesday, Hendry said the Government had no plans for “serious high-return growth”.
He said: “We haven’t heard it mentioned here today, we don’t know where it is. That £28bn is needed.
“The Labour advisers have told the Labour Party that £28bn a year is needed, everybody knows that £28bn a year is needed and yet none of them are willing to make the investment that’s needed to protect us. The abandonment of the just transition and its fantastic…”
He was interrupted by heckles from Labour MPs and said: “They’re chuntering from a sedentary position on the Labour front bench.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn shouted: “You’ve upset the Labour leader.”
Hendry continued: “Imagine picking up on that one. Their big U-turn, their big abandonment of the just transition. Well it’s a pretty big U-turn, I know it’s one of many but it’s a pretty big U-turn.
READ MORE: Scottish Government reacts to 'betrayal' Budget as new Tory cuts expected
“The fact that they’re rattled shows how much they feel this. Their and the Government’s abandonment of the just transition and its fantastic opportunity, from the Tories and from their shadows in the Labour party is reckless and stupid.”
Jeremy Hunt (below) has been accused of a “betrayal” of public services amid predictions of severe cuts in state spending.
He announced that the Government was committed to a real-terms increase in day-to-day spending – but experts said this would be eaten up by a few key areas and will translate into cuts across many other parts of the state.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated that because of Government pledges to boost spending on the NHS, defence, schools, overseas aid and childcare, other areas must be cut to keep to the 1% increase target.
Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “Public services up and down the UK are in real need of investment, and they’re being sacrificed to deliver unsustainable tax cuts.”
She added: “Today’s UK Spring Budget is nothing short of a betrayal of public services across the UK. Our hope had been the Chancellor would have eased pressures on services – not least by providing more funding for capital.”
The Scottish Government has accused the UK Government of failing to boost capital spending – which would hurt Edinburgh’s ability to invest in major infrastructure projects such as roads and schools.
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