JOHN Swinney invited Anas Sarwar to “do the maths” on bringing an end to austerity as the Scottish Labour leader berated the First Minister about people turning to private healthcare.
At FMQs Sarwar raised comments made by British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland chair Iain Kennedy, who said Scotland was “sleepwalking” towards a two-tier health service.
But Swinney hit back at him by suggesting Labour were not presenting a credible plan for investing in the Scottish NHS.
Labour have pledged to pump an extra £134 million into the NHS in Scotland if they win the election, but Swinney pointed out the consequentials received by the Scottish Government in the spring budget were not enough to cover this promised cash injection.
Swinney said: “In about a week on Friday, the issues that have been raised with me about the health service are going to be the Labour Party’s problem and we’re going to have to engage […] in a serious conversation about what lies ahead because the health service is a product of the investment we can make through the public finances.
“As I’ve just said to Mr Ross, when we came to office the health service occupied 33% of the budget. It now occupies nearly 50%.
“If we look ahead, the Labour Party is proposing an extra £134m of investment in the health service in Scotland. The last spring budget consequentials we got from the awful Tories were £237m.
“So I invite Anas Sarwar to do the maths. We cannot prolong austerity and that’s what the Labour Party is offering. Until the Labour Party offers a sensible way out of austerity, people in Scotland won’t take it all seriously.”
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was once again rapped at this week's FMQs after he referred to the SNP as 'clapping seals' 👀 pic.twitter.com/7bPLxkAhc4
— The National (@ScotNational) June 27, 2024
Sarwar claimed this was "frankly an embarrassing response" from Swinney, accusing him of not taking responsibility for his Government’s decisions.
He added that the Scottish Government had failed to meet the 62-day standard for cancer treatment, but Swinney stressed once again he wanted to have an honest conversation about the financial support that is required to provide investment in the health service.
Elsewhere at FMQs, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross once again found himself in bother with the Presiding Officer who reminded him of Parliament rules on respect when he called SNP backbenchers “clapping seals”.
It came amid a spat between him and Swinney over delayed discharge in the NHS, with Ross quoting Public Health Scotland figures that showed this is at a record high.
Swinney said he accepted delayed discharges are far too high, but claimed more cancer patients are being treated and more resources are being allocated to the health service.
He then went on to say the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) had highlighted a "conspiracy of silence" between Labour and the Tories about the funding of the public services, adding that independence was the way to confront 14 years of austerity.
Swinney said: “Douglas Ross has set out a manifesto this week which commits to repairing the roads, ending long NHS waits, restoring schools, making Scotland safer. All of those four commitments cost more money. And then the fifth one, cut your tax.
“So Douglas Ross stands here and demands that we do more and demands that we spend less. It is the politics of absurdity and Douglas Ross is welcome to all of it.”
He added: “And let me just tell Douglas Ross why independence matters.
“People in this country are suffering because of the consequences of 14 years of Conservative austerity. They are suffering because of the Conservative obsession with Brexit which is damaging our economy. They are suffering because of the cost of living crisis escalated by the ludicrous behaviour of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng which Douglas Ross wanted me to emulate.
“Independence is the solution to austerity, Brexit and the cost of living.”
