Inside Holyrood: Tough choice at the crossroads for Richard Lochhead

Published on Sunday 25 January 2009 20:59

THE roads chosen by some Scottish ministers could lead them to ruin this week, if the opposition parties get their act together.

Labour, who seem to have read my colleague Hamish Macdonell's column last week, have decided to hold a transport debate on Thursday and, although they are being quiet about the exact motion they will put down, it is likely to be aimed at embarrassing at least one and possibly three members of the government, and possibly even force a resignation.

The obvious target is Richard Lochhead, the environment secretary, and his squirming over the Elgin bypass on the A96.

This project has been campaigned for by both him and Alex Salmond, the First Minister, but was not included in the list of transport projects for the next 20 years announced by Mr Lochhead's neighbouring constituency MSP Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister.

Mr Lochhead has continued to publicly campaign on the issue and it now seems certain that, with some opposition party collusion, he will be faced with either voting for the project and against his government, or against the project and his constituents.

But he may not be the only one in the firing line.

A far less well-reported case has been the continued support that the SNP's Adam Ingram, the minister for children, has given for the Maybole bypass.

This is another project described as vital by the SNP in opposition yet now they are in government is not in their plans for the next 20 years.

Then there is the Haudagain Roundabout in Aberdeen, one of the worst congestion "pinch points" in the UK. Again the SNP promised that they would sort it out and again it was missing from the Strategic Transport Review.

Brian Adam, the Nationalists' chief whip and the local MSP in Aberdeen North, insists that the issue has been resolved and will be changed, and Mr Salmond personally telephoned a local paper to give his assurances on the project.

However, it is yet to be instated in the transport plans and opposition parties have detected the whiff of a chaos in the SNP strategy.

The SNP will argue that Michael (now Lord) Watson campaigned to save hospitals in his Cathcart constituency while he was still Labour's minister for tourism, culture and sport in the first Scottish Executive.

However, he was ordered to toe the line in a vote on the issue in the chamber – a similar ambush by the SNP to the one planned this week by Labour.

It seems that Mr Lochhead, who has quietly impressed, especially with his work with the fishing sector, could be facing a career-defining moment and that terrible choice between being a good constituency MSP or keeping his ministerial career alive.