A SCOTTISH Tory MP has been slapped down for allegedly suggesting Scotland should “get on its knees” to thank Westminster for financial support during the pandemic.
The row was sparked after Andrew Bowie said Scottish politicians may “learn the virtue of patience” by waiting for the Chancellor to give long-awaited clarity on the UK Government’s furlough plans.
Rishi Sunak is due to give an update in the Commons tomorrow after days of appeals for details from the devolved administrations.
Boris Johnson insisted on Monday that Scotland would have access to furlough cash beyond the December 2 cut off if required. But matters were confused the next day when his ministers appeared to backtrack on the guarantee.
The lack of detail provided by the UK Government was said to be a result of “chaos” in the Treasury, which had been caught off guard by the lockdown announcement.
READ MORE: UK Government in ‘chaos’ as Tory ministers dodge Scots furlough questions
Scottish Tory MP Bowie was asked about the row earlier as he appeared on BBC Politics Scotland.
He hailed the furlough scheme, which he said has helped protect more than 800,000 jobs in Scotland and was only possible because the Treasury provided the “muscle” to combat the economic downturn triggered by lockdown.
He continued: “As to the details of what the Chancellor might be announcing I think that Ian Blackford and others might learn the virtue of patience and just wait 24 hours when the Chancellor gets to speak tomorrow to announce whatever packages of support are going to be delivered.”
It was put to Bowie that devolved administrations had already been waiting for several days to hear details about the furlough scheme.
But the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP insisted the UK Government was following the “correct process for how these things work”.
He added: “I think that the people of Scotland like people around the UK will be very pleased when they see the package of support that the Chancellor is bringing forward tomorrow.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson ‘bounced’ Rishi Sunak into Scottish furlough vow
Bowie was then asked if the current funding model in the UK was still “fit for purpose”.
He responded: “I think that Scotland does very well out of the Barnett formula. There’s only one party that want to see the end of the Barnett formula and rip up the strong bonds that tie our United Kingdom together, our economic bonds that provide for jobs and business certainty, and that’s the Scottish National Party.”
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan countered Bowie’s claims
The SNP hit back at the suggestion Scots should be bowing down to Westminster for providing support during a pandemic and accused the Tories of hypocrisy over the Barnett formula.
MSP Stuart McMillan told The National: “It’s outrageous how long we have waited for full confirmation that the furlough scheme will be extended in Scotland if required – and we’re still waiting.
“Businesses and workers across Scotland need to know if they will be supported should we have to enter a lockdown.
“It seems Andrew Bowie wants Scotland to get on its knees to thank Westminster for their generosity. It’s not generosity, they are simply borrowing on our behalf and Scottish businesses who pay their taxes are entitled to full and thorough support – that’s our right.”
On the Barnett funding row, McMillan highlighted that the UK Prime Minister has in fact made high-profile comments in the past suggesting he is the one who wants to bin the funding arrangement.
Boris Johnson has previously described a Conservative promise to keep the Barnett formula as “reckless” and said it would be better spending money in Croydon than Strathclyde.
However, the PM’s spokesman insisted there would be “no change” to the formula when Johnson stepped up to the top job.
McMillan added: “We all know that Bowie’s boss, Boris Johnson, is a long-standing critic of the Barnett formula – describing the system where Scotland receives what it is rightfully owed by the UK government as ‘unequitable’.”
— to www.thenational.scot
