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The SNP has said that thousands of jobs could be unnecessarily lost if the Scottish Parliament is denied the financial powers necessary to protect Scotland’s economy from the impact of COVID-19. Ian Blackford, leader of the SNP in Westminster, warned that a “job disaster” was coming if Conservatives scrap the leave plan in October and retain the lending powers that Holyrood seeks to save jobs.
But a government source told Express.co.uk late Saturday that millions had been given to Scotland in support, emphasizing comments that the SNP was only playing “party politics.”
The source added: “Boris Johnson and the UK government are helping Scotland with significant amounts of funding due to COVID-19, the SNP is just looking for something to complain about.
“Scotland should work together with Westminster to show the UK’s strength during this difficult time.”
The MP warned that the growing threat to Scottish jobs demonstrated the need for independence, and stressed that the Scottish Parliament would have extended the license scheme if Scotland had the normal powers of an independent country.
Whitehall dismissed Ian Blackford’s comments today (Image: Getty)
Ian Blackford asked for more powers last night (Image: Getty)
The latest figures from the Treasury reveal that more than 936,000 jobs, a third of Scotland’s workforce, have been supported by support from the UK government.
The numbers of wage earners under the Job Retention Plan skyrocketed from 43,000 to 779,500 between June and July as the country moved into the third stage of Nicola Sturgeon’s more cautious exit plan.
During the same period, another 2,000 self-employed Scots were paid from the public purse.
It brings the total number of non-staff claims to 157,000, with Westminster backing employers to the tune of £ 459 million.
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Kate Forbes previously wrote to Rishi Sunak to extend the licensing scheme. (Image: Getty)
Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and other Scottish ministers have repeatedly pushed for flexibility to borrow more and to be able to transfer underutilized capital to day-to-day income spending.
During a visit to Edinburgh in July, Treasury Chief Secretary Stephen Barclay said another £ 1.9bn in funding had been awarded to the Scottish government to wrap up the year and fund initiatives to address the effects of COVID-19 instead. to give Scotland more tax flexibility.
Blackford, said: “The UK faces a looming job disaster if the Conservatives scrap the leave scheme and retain the crucial financial powers the Scottish Parliament needs to save jobs and protect our economy.
“Reckless plans by the Conservatives to cut support for jobs amid a global pandemic could lead to massive unemployment, with thousands of unnecessary job losses and lasting social damage to communities across Scotland.
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Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has called for more spending powers (Image: Getty)
“The Scottish government is doing what it can with the limited financial powers it has to protect jobs, including vital policies like the youth guarantee.
But the harsh reality is that, without the normal powers of an independent country, Scotland cannot extend the licensing scheme and deliver the scale of fiscal stimulus necessary to adequately protect our economy.
“By retaining these powers and refusing to act, Westminster is leaving Scotland to tackle this unprecedented crisis with one hand tied behind its back, putting thousands of Scottish jobs at risk.
“Scotland can make different decisions to protect jobs, but only if we have the powers that other normal countries have.”
“Our European neighbors in Ireland, France and Germany are already expanding their licensing plans just as Scotland would if we were independent.
“Boris Johnson must make an urgent U-turn, extend the licensing plan and give back the powers that Scotland needs.
“Scotland should not have to wait for Westminster to act. It is clearer than ever that the only way to adequately protect jobs and our economy is for Scotland to become an independent country.”
However, the latest economic figures from the Scottish government reveal that Scotland faces a huge gap in public spending of over £ 40bn this year.
Ian Blackford highlighted the importance of the licensing plan (Image: Getty)
Official figures showed that Scotland’s fiscal deficit grew to 8.6 per cent of GDP in financial year 2019/20, with government spending £ 15.1 billion more than is received in revenue.
Official figures this week showed that Scotland’s economy suffered one of the deepest declines in Europe during the close and has recovered much more slowly than that of the UK.
A UK government spokesperson added: “UK strength has never been more important than now, so the UK government is doing everything it can to support all parts of the UK as we recover from the pandemic.
“The UK government is currently supporting almost 900,000 jobs in Scotland, one third of the workforce.
“This is just one part of a huge package of measures to get our economy back on track, plus an additional £ 6.5 billion guaranteed to the Scottish government to further support people, businesses and public services in Scotland.
“In 2014, the people of Scotland voted decisively to remain part of a strong UK.
“We need to focus on the issues that really matter to people – continuing to address the pandemic and driving our economic recovery.”
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