Reports suggesting Scottish Secretary Ian Murray might bypass Holyrood to fund anti-poverty measures could jeopardise positive devolution steps, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said. The Sunday Mail newspaper reported the UK government could introduce new legislation to allow the Scotland Office to allocate £150 million for local authority measures to combat poverty. However, Ms Robison said such a move would be “out of kilter” with the “positive” relationship being built between the Scottish and UK governments.
Ms Robison told the BBC the £150m could have been used to avoid means-testing the winter fuel payment north of the border. She said Mr Murray would be bypassing Holyrood if the plan suggested by the newspaper went ahead. “If that is new money, there is definitely a question mark about why that money is not coming to the Scottish Government, given all of these funding pressures that we have,” she said.
Ms Robison was asked if she believed the UK government was “playing politics” with the plans, but said there had been a “real difference” in the working relationship between both governments since Labour was elected to power, adding it was “far more open and collaborative”. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met First Minister John Swinney in an effort to improve intergovernmental relations following the general election in July. However, Ms Robison said: “What I would say about the Secretary of State for Scotland’s actions here is they are.