Swinney attacks ‘populist rubbish’ from Tories on asylum seeker bus travel

The First Minister has slammed a motion tabled by the Scottish Conservatives seeking to block free bus travel for asylum seekers as “populist rubbish”.

The party used its opposition time this week to lead a debate on the Scottish Government’s Budget, including calling for the bus travel policy not to be returned after being scrapped earlier this year.

While the bus travel issue was well-trailed by the Tories, it featured little in the speech by the party’s finance spokesman Craig Hoy, but was attacked fervently from all sides as the motion was defeated – with MSPs accusing the party of seeking to ensure voters do not switch to back Reform UK.

The issue was raised at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday by Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater, who said the debate amounted to the “Trumpification” of Scottish politics, in reference to the US president-elect.

Responding to Ms Slater, First Minister John Swinney said the debate was a “turning point” in Holyrood’s 25-year support for asylum seekers.

“We should be recognising that people who seek asylum in our country are people who are in desperation and we should not be demonising them, we should be embracing them,” he said.

“We should be living up to our values, the values that founded this Parliament, and we should turn our back on the populist rubbish that has consumed the Conservative Party this week.”

A Scottish Tory spokesman said: “Public polling shows half of Scots believe the SNP’s policy of handing out free bus passes to asylum seekers is the wrong thing to do.

“John Swinney’s response sums up how disconnected he and the rest of the cosy left-wing Holyrood consensus are from how Scots are really feeling.”

Swinney also defended his conversation this week with Trump as the Greens attacked the Republican for his “climate-destroying, racist and conspiracy theory-based politics”, accusing the First Minister of attempting to “court the favours” of the incoming US leader.

The First Minister said: “Lorna Slater and I are in absolute agreement about the importance of democratic processes and the rule of law.

“But there will, of course, be political differences from one government to another, but I also have a duty to promote and to protect the interests of Scotland.

“President Trump and I had an introductory call at his request on Tuesday evening, and he spoke positively about Scotland, and I expressed the views of the interests of the Scottish Government in relation to areas of co-operation with the United States, particularly about relevant and important issues on whisky trade, which matters to the Scottish economy.”