John Swinney admits Scotland could face snap election after Greens says they will not support Scottish Budget

Scotland could be facing a snap election, first minister John Swinney has admitted - after the Scottish Green Party said it will not support the SNP Government’s annual budget if it continues to step away from progressive politics,

The party’s co-leader, Lorna Slater, warned that offering her party’s support would be “unreasonable”.

If Mr Swinney finds his budget is unable to pass, he could be forced to call an election, something which he insists the public does not want.

Mr Swinney has angered the SNP’s now-former coalition partners after cutting key climate and active travel funding and watering down a commitment to expand free school meals and conversion therapy.

Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater

Asked about the prospect of a snap election if he fails to obtain enough support for his budget, Mr Swinney acknowledged that could happen.

He added: “I don’t think members of the public want politicians to be having elections when they’re not supposed to be.”

The LibDems, while not explicitly ruling out supporting any SNP budget, have suggested they would not.

Speaking to the Times, a senior Liberal Democrat source said: “This doesn’t feel like a governing party that’s trying too hard to make friends. Perhaps they have no intention of passing a budget and perhaps we are going to the country [for an election] sooner rather than later.”

Mr Swinney’s direction of travel has been informed by a lack of finance. But the Scottish Greens, who in government and opposition have allowed the Holyrood budget to pass, are poised to reject the spending plans the First Minister will attempt to pass in December. Mr Swinney will need the support of opposition parties to do so, throwing his budget into doubt.

The First Minister told journalists that “there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge” before budget negotiations begin, adding that he will “engage constructively across the board within parliament” to attempt to pass his spending plans. Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater told The Scotsman the SNP is “not the progressive force” it once was under former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, as she warned Mr Swinney will have to look elsewhere for the support needed to pass his budget.

READ MORE: John Swinney's underwhelming blueprint moves SNP permanently away from Greens amid 'cowardice' accusations

She said: “Under the Bute House Agreement, in exchange for our support, we got a whole bunch of policies and two ministers. Now that stuff is being chipped away at and we are no longer part of it. There should be no assumptions on the part of the SNP that we would be willing to support a budget.

“It does raise the question as to what they were thinking putting forward the PfG [Programme for Government] and the fiscal statement that they made this week. 

“Who are they expecting to support the budget? Because I can’t believe they think they can cut core Green things and then come to use and ask for our votes and support in the budget - that seems unreasonable. I’m really unclear who they think is going to support it.”

Ms Slater suggested that an explicit commitment to bring forward legislation for a full conversion therapy ban will send a signal that “ambition will be watered down”.

She said: “Even little tiny things like bus travel for asylum seekers has been removed - that costs practically nothing, would make a big difference and sends a big signal about how we welcome refugees and asylum seekers here. 

“To have taken that out just doesn't seem to me like they are looking for Green support. They must have something else in mind. It’s very hard to imagine who they think is going to support that budget, but I can’t think they can assume we are going to.”

Asked whether Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and less-progressive SNP backbenchers are having more influence on the party’s policies, Ms Slater said that was “absolutely what is happening”.

She said: “Those voices are gaining more ground. I think we should absolutely be questioning what the SNP stands for.

“Both Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf were able to pull them in a very progressive direction. The parliamentary arithmetic is brutal, so John Swinney is having to adjust course to satisfy his backbenchers and more reactionary elements. 

“They are not the progressive force that many people were voting for. The Scottish Greens are that progressive force.”

Ms Slater, who was a Scottish Government minister until April when Mr Yousaf tore up the Bute House Agreement, said her party “made significant changes” in office. She said: “It’s disappointing to watch it all disintegrate.”

Speaking to journalists, Mr Swinney stressed a lot can happen before budget negotiations begin, including finding out how much funding his government will receive from Westminster.

He said: “There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before we get near the budget. We don’t even know what the funding settlement will be from the United Kingdom government for 25/26 which is the budget that;’s affected.

“The government doesn’t command a majority in parliament, we’ve got to find people who’ll work with us to get a budget passed, so the government’s got to engage.

“I’ve got a wee bit of experience of doing that type of stuff over the years - most of it successful and we’ll do that.”

Asked if he will seek the support of other parties such as the LibDems to pass his budget, Mr Swinney said: “Various parties have voted for our budgets over time.”

He added: “Parliament’s got to address the fact that there has to be a budget agreed if we are to put money into our public services. If we don’t do that, then public services don’t have the money to operate or afford pay rises.”

“The government will engage constructively across the board within parliament because we don’t have a majority, so we’ve got to find support from others on the budget question and on others if we wish to make progress on our agenda.”