Tories accused of pursuing all the wrong priorities.
The SNP has called out the Tory government’s latest absurd vanity project and criticised its plans to pass the multi-million-pound bill on to the taxpayer in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis.
The criticism comes after Downing Street confirmed that a new national yacht – which reportedly comes with an eye-watering price tag of around £200 million – will be funded by the Ministry of Defence, despite repeated cross-party warnings of the £17 billion funding black hole in the MoD’s equipment budget.
Meanwhile, a recent YouGov survey revealed that 47% of people in the UK were opposed to buying the new yacht in the first place, with only 29% in favour.
In Scotland, the number opposed rose sharply to 59%.
Commenting, SNP MP Dave Doogan said:
“It tells you all you need to know about the chaotic priorities of Boris Johnson’s Tory government that it is pursuing yet another expensive, indulgent vanity project in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis.
“Plans for a new national yacht supposedly to boost trade – despite the Tory government dragging Scotland and the UK out of the world’s largest single market – are utterly out of touch.
“Worse still is Downing Street’s intention to pass the eye-watering £200 million bill on to the taxpayer via the Ministry of Defence.
“This half-baked move comes without proper scrutiny, without proper ownership given the pass the parcel approach between Whitehall departments, and despite real concerns over the gaping £17 billion funding black hole at the MoD.
“The Westminster system is broken beyond repair.
“Yet again, the Tories are revealing themselves to be arrogant and completely out of touch by splurging taxpayers’ cash on vanity projects while imposing austerity cuts on the rest of us.
“Scotland is increasingly vulnerable under Westminster control.
“It’s clearer than ever that the only way to keep Scotland safe from the long-term damage of Tory governments we don’t vote for is to become an independent country.”
