Liberal Democrats ‘still some distance’ from a deal to back SNP Budget

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has insisted his party is “still some considerable distance” from doing a deal with the minority SNP Government that will allow the Holyrood Budget to pass.

Cole-Hamilton said while there had “definitely” been movement in talks between his party and the SNP on spending plans for 2025-26, the Scottish Government was “going to have to move some mountains” if it wanted Lib Dems to vote for these.

His comments came as First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney called on the other parties at Holyrood to work with the government in “good faith” on the Budget.

While finance secretary Shona Robison will set out draft tax and spending plans for next year on Wednesday, the proposals in her Budget will not be voted on until next year.

And with the SNP operating as a minority administration at Holyrood, she and Swinney need to win the support of at least one other party for the Budget Bill to be passed.

Asked if he could call opposition parties’ bluff by seeking an early Holyrood election if they block his Budget plans, the First Minister told journalists on Tuesday the Government was “going into this Budget process in good faith”.

The draft Budget is a “product of an extensive amount of dialogue and discussion with all political parties” as well as with business leaders, local councils and others, he added.

Swinney said he hoped the proposals “will be welcomed with good faith by other political parties”.

But after talks with the Scottish Government closed on Tuesday, Cole-Hamilton told journalists: “It is fair to say there is still some considerable distance to travel and they are going to have to pull out all the stops to persuade us.”

He said Liberal Democrats wanted to see improvements to council funding in the Budget, along with cash to improve access to local health care and improvements in social care – with Cole-Hamilton also making clear that funding for stalled plans for a National Care Service should come to an end.

He also insisted the Budget should not contain funding towards independence, saying the Government must not “waste time or energy on fighting the divisive arguments of the past”.

Cole-Hamilton added: “We’re going to look and see what the detail of the Budget is tomorrow and then we will enter more discussions.

“We are still some considerable distance from any kind of agreement.”

The Scottish Greens, the other party seen as possibly doing a deal with the Scottish Government, have made clear their “red lines” would be funding for climate projects and more cash for councils.

Meanwhile, Scottish Tories are demanding the government “start by undoing the damage of their tax rises”, with party finance spokesperson Craig Hoy urging the SNP to show “some common sense for a change in this week’s Budget”.