Opening the session, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay brought up remarks made by the SNP leader earlier in the week, when he said that blocking the Government’s Budget would “run a real risk of feeding the forces of anti-politics and of populism”.
Findlay told MSPs: “John Swinney said this week that if his Budget doesn’t pass we are playing right into the hands of Elon Musk. Yes, you heard that right.
“So, the SNP’s budget will cause misery to hardworking Scots and struggling businesses but in the mind of Scotland’s populist First Minister that’s a price we all must pay to defeat the shadowy forces of populism.
“Was it John Swinney’s New Year’s resolution to distract from his failings by making ludicrous claims such as this?”
Responding, Swinney said he could “see the shadowy face of populism right in front of me”, in a pointed remark aimed at the Scottish Tory leader.
The First Minister went on: “I would say, presiding officer, that a Budget that protects business from a challenging trading environment, that delivers a real terms increase in local government funding, that invests to reform and improve the National Health Service, that gives a huge boost to housing investment, that takes steps to eradicate child poverty, and invests in a clean green transition for the Scottish economy and environment, is a Budget worth supporting.
“Mr Findlay should come to his senses and vote for the Government’s Budget.”
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Responding, Findlay suggested there was no need to back or oppose the proposed SNP spending plans because Labour had already handed them a “blank cheque”.
On Tuesday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told the BBC his MSPs would abstain on the Budget, meaning the minority SNP Government will have enough votes to pass it without any other party’s support.
The move drew anger from the Greens, who said Sarwar had “thrown in the towel without even trying to secure any improvements”.
Findlay made the same point at FMQs, telling MSPs: “Labour have folded and the budget will pass. Everybody knows that, and [Swinney] must be absolutely delighted at the weakness of Scottish Labour.
“This has been the cheapest Budget deal in 26 years of devolution, and it’s typical Labour helping the SNP … At least though, this does mean that John Swinney won’t have to strike any damaging deals with the Greens as he’s done so often in the past.
“So can he now rule out any new taxes or extremist policies being demanded by the Greens?”
In response, the First Minister said he had already made clear that “there will be no further tax changes from this Government in advance of the 2026 elections”.
“I hope that gives some tax certainty if Mr Findlay is genuinely seeking that clarity,” he added.
“And as for a dialogue with other political parties … the Government’s door remains open to dialogue about the contents of the Government’s Budget.”
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Swinney further took aim at the Tories after their social justice spokesperson, Jeremy Balfour MSP, claimed the SNP were “trying to shamelessly hoodwink pensioners by pretending” to have reinstated the Winter Fuel Payment “for next year when they have not done this”.
Balfour was jeered as he added: “It is only the Conservatives who provided the full winter payment. Not the SNP and not Labour.”
The SNP Government have said they will bring in a Winter Fuel Payment for Scottish pensioners for 2025/26 to replace the universal benefit cut by Labour at Westminster.
Responding to Balfour, the First Minister highlighted how the Tories’ Budget proposals had included around £1 billion in tax cuts – saying it was “nonsense” to also call for more public expenditure on Winter Fuel Payments.
Swinney said: “Here we have it. A member of the Conservative Party, whose frontbench wants me to cut public expenditure by a billion pounds to afford a tax cut, wants me to spend more money on Winter Fuel Payments.
“That’s what’s been put out to us today. A billion pounds of a spending cut from the front bench, £155 million demanded of expenditure from the back benches.
“There is absolutely not a scrap of cohesion from the nonsense that comes from the Conservative Party on a daily basis.”
The presiding officer had to repeatedly call for quiet from the Tory benches as Swinney talked.
Elsewhere at FMQs, Swinney told Tory MSP Liz Smith that he will examine whether more can be done to ensure Chinese surveillance cameras are not used in the public sector.
UK Government departments were ordered to stop installing Chinese-made surveillance cameras in November 2022 due to security concerns, while the Scottish Government has removed them from its premises.
The Times reported earlier this week that 22 councils continue to use devices made by Hikvision.