Scottish independence: Scottish Government spent more than £250,000 on indyref2 case

The Scottish Government spent more than £250,000 on the Supreme Court case on its indyref2 legislation, it has been revealed.

Figures released by the Government show a total of £251,728.69 was spent on the case, which concluded last month.

The panel of five justices ruled the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for an independence referendum without Westminster’s permission.

The Scottish Government referred its proposed legislation on a second independence referendum to the court, asking for a ruling on its legal competence.

The SNP independence conference will take place in the spring. Picture: PA

A two-day hearing took place in London in October, where the Scottish Government was represented by its top law officer, the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC.

The bulk of the costs in the case went on external counsel, amounting to £222,869.45.

Travel and subsistence for the case cost £19,711.25 while £8,049.99 was spent on “professional services”.

Filing fees for the Supreme Court were £350 and other costs for the court were £748.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the Government should end its work on the independence prospectus papers.

He said: “Having faced a humiliating defeat in the Supreme Court, we now learn that the Scottish Government threw away over a quarter of a million in taxpayer money on this farce.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the SNP to refund every penny of that money and for all the civil servants working on yet more separation papers to be immediately redeployed.

“Households feeling the weight of the cost of living and patients suffering in pain as they wait for treatment will be absolutely baffled by this gross waste of public money.”

During the Budget last week, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced £20 million earmarked for a second referendum next year would instead go towards tackling fuel poverty.