Challenge: John Swinney urged Alistair Darling to provide clarity. Pic: © STV
The Chancellor has been urged to produce a budget that benefits Scotland later this week.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has called on Alistair Darling to guarantee that there will be no further cuts, more accelerated spending, support for oil and gas and "clarity" for future budgets.
Mr Swinney, who set out the demands in a letter, said: "With a UK election looming, this could be Alistair Darling's last chance to deliver a budget that benefits Scotland. So far he has singularly failed in that task."
The Scottish Parliament agreed its budget earlier this year and relies on money coming from the Treasury. Mr Swinney said there must be a "cast-iron guarantee" that no cuts would be made if Labour were voted back into office at Westminster in the general election.
He repeated a plea for money to be brought forward from future budgets - a position that has been backed by Labour at Holyrood. Mr Swinney also called for action on fuel duty, which he said harms rural areas in particular.
"An oil-rich nation like Scotland should be reaping the benefits from our offshore resources, not paying among the highest fuel duty in Europe," he added. "The Chancellor should introduce a fuel-duty regulator to help our hard-pressed hauliers and motorists."
Mr Darling faced further pressure from First Minister Alex Salmond not to reduce the Scottish budget after the election. The Chancellor is due to announce his budget in Westminster on Wednesday.
