Salmond told ‘put pride aside’

DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has urged Alex Salmond to “put his pride aside” and join forces with the UK Government to tackle youth unemployment.

The Liberal Democrat leader said the First Minister had initially been “very dismissive” of the UK Government’s £1 billion Youth Contract, which offers wage subsidies to employers to take on young people.

But he said since then the Scottish Government had appointed Angela Constance to the new role of Youth Employment Minister and he now believed there had been “some indications” that Scotland would play its part.

He said: “It’s very important we work in full cooperation with the Scottish Government.

“I know Alex Salmond never likes to give credit for good ideas which are not his own, but I think it would be a good thing for the young people of Scotland if he could put his pride aside and work with us.”