Boris Johnson (pictured) must live up to his words on ending austerity by giving Scotland greater powers to tackle the economic crisis caused by coronavirus, the SNP has said.
The Prime Minister has said that the UK will “not go back to the austerity of 10 years ago” – but the UK government has so far refused to devolve the powers needed to secure Scotland’s economy.
The Scottish Government’s Advisory Group on Economic Recovery this month argued that new powers were urgently needed to support an investment-led recovery.
This report followed a similar argument by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, who said that devolved governments needed greater access to borrowing to tackle coronavirus.
Commenting, Tom Arthur MSP said:
“The very last thing we need is yet more Tory cuts.
“You can’t cut your way into economic growth – a lesson the Tories appear to have belatedly learned after a wasted decade of austerity.
“Pledges of investment are welcome – but, as always with this Prime Minister, we need to see if the reality will match the rhetoric.
“The UK government must not short change Scotland or deny us the powers needed to meet the scale of this crisis.
“The Scottish Government cannot be forced to tackle a generation-defining crisis with one hand tied behind its back.”
