National Museum of Scotland 'may have to cease some operations' amid funding crisis despite FM arts pledge

The National Museum of Scotland has warned it may have to cease some of its operations without a proper funding plan in place.

The museum in Edinburgh is facing its “toughest” financial crisis ever and there are fears over paying staff and maintaining the museum.

It comes after First Minister Humza Yousaf pledged to increase arts and culture funding by £100m by 2028.

However, a spokesperson for the museum revealed there was still uncertainty over funding for the popular tourist attraction.

The museum has said that without a proper plan in place the only solution would be for the site to “cease” some of its operations entirely.

A spokesperson for National Museums Scotland said: “The current financial climate is one of the toughest the heritage and culture sector has ever faced.

“We have still not settled our pay negotiations for the current financial year.

“There remains uncertainty about whether we can match the Scottish Government’s own two-year pay offer, which leaves us with ongoing concerns about the size of our budget gap in future years, and in that situation the only solution would be to cease some of our operations.”

National Museums Scotland received more than £26m from the Scottish Government last year, however, it is unclear how much funding they will receive going forward.

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.