John Swinney has been urged to think again after the Scottish Conservatives today inflicted a ‘humiliating’ double defeat on his SNP Government.
Holyrood’s main opposition party today forced – and won – parliamentary votes on two controversial recent nationalist policy announcements.
The first motion called on the SNP to fulfil their 2021 manifesto pledge to provide free school meals for all primary school pupils in Scotland, after the First Minister sparked fury last week by admitting that it had been shelved.
The second motion called on ministers to drop their plans to reintroduce peak fares on ScotRail services at the end of this month – a move which will see rush-hour ticket prices soar.
Although the votes on the two Scottish Conservative-led debates are not binding, the party’s chief whip Alexander Burnett said John Swinney should reverse his position on both, given that MSPs and the public are opposed to them.
Scottish Conservative chief whip Alexander Burnett said: “John Swinney must see the error of his ways and drop these damaging plans in the wake of two humiliating parliamentary defeats inflicted by the Scottish Conservatives.
“By refusing to deliver free school meals to all primary pupils in this parliament, he is breaking a direct pledge on which the SNP were elected. It also makes a mockery of claims that tackling child poverty is his top priority.
“The reintroduction of peak ScotRail fares is a hammer blow to commuters which will also undermine the SNP Government’s goal of getting people out of their cars and onto public transport.
“Both announcements, which stem from the SNP’s mismanagement of Scotland’s finances, have sparked anger among the public – and MSPs have rightly given voice to that fury today.
“John Swinney would be both arrogant and foolish to ignore today’s Holyrood double whammy.”