JOHN Swinney tore into the "perpetuation of austerity" under the UK Labour government as he clashed with Anas Sarwar on the NHS.
The First Minister called out the Scottish Labour leader at FMQs for his repeated pledges during the election of "no austerity under Labour" as he questioned the SNP on working hours lost to NHS absence.
Sarwar appeared to sarcastically utter "always someone else's fault" under his breath while tilting his head from side to side as Swinney urged him to "ask his UK masters" to end austerity.
In defending his Government's record on the NHS, Swinney said: "The problem here is the perpetuation of austerity.
"Mr Sarwar told me during the election campaign there would be no austerity under Labour. Now Mr Sarwar can make all the gesticulation he wants at me, those were his words. No austerity under Labour and we’re getting austerity under the Labour Party as we speak.
"So my message to Mr Sarwar is if he wants to help the situation, he should say to his UK masters to end the austerity because as he well knows, all roads lead back to Westminster on NHS funding."
Swinney appeared to reference an interview with Health Secretary Wes Streeting prior to the General Election where he said "all roads lead back to Westminster" when talking about the NHS in Scotland.
A clip of Sarwar pledging "no austerity under Labour" re-emerged at the end of July as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepared to announce a £20 billion black hole in the public finances.
During the election campaign, the SNP repeatedly warned of £18 billion of cuts to public services or tax rises – pointing to analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Sarwar said during a leaders' debate: "And let me say unequivocally. There will be no austerity under a Labour government.”
During FMQs, Sarwar claimed the NHS "is not safe with the SNP" as he detailed how 15.3 million working hours had been lost to staff absence last year.
Swinney said the Government had expanded staff resources within the NHS over a number of years, citing examples in nursing and midwifery and medical and dental care.
He said one of the key interventions of the Scottish Government had been ensuring the maximisation of the number of staff available, despite challenges presented in part as a result of the pandemic.
He added recent figures had shown an increase in inpatient and day-care activity, outpatient activity and an increase in surgery capacity.
“We’re treating more patients with cancer on time within the 62-day standard, 3% more than the same quarter a year ago, and 12.8% compared to ten years ago," Swinney said.
Prior to clashing with Sarwar, Swinney also launched a scathing attack on Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross as the two clashed over economic inactivity among young people.
Ross quizzed Swinney on an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on skills which he said was "damning", detailing that 52,700 young Scots were economically inactive or not in education.
Ross also pressed the First Minister on the "underfunding" of Scotland's colleges, as Swinney highlighted £750m of investment the Government had put towards the sector in the current financial year.
Swinney then attacked Ross for his record of "abject economic failure".
He said: "Mr Ross last week asked me to spend more money on free school meals, to spend more money on peak rail fares and today he wants me to spend more money on colleges at the same time as he wants me to reduce tax and take £1.5 billion out of the public finances and support the Liz Truss economic madness which inflicted misery on our country.
"I am going to listen to nothing Douglas Ross says to me in his remaining couple of weeks because his record is one of absolute abject economic failure."
The Scottish Government has opted to being back peak rail fares after running a trial of off-peak tickets for all passengers at any time of day.
In its Programme for Government, it also removed a pledge to introduce universal free school meals at primary school, although Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the SNP was "standing by" the commitment.
She said free meals would be extended to those in P6 and P7 “when additional funding becomes available”.
The Scottish Government suffered twin defeats when MSPs voted on both issues earlier this month.
