Autumn Budget ‘must not repeat mistakes of the past’, says Scottish Finance Secretary

The Chancellor should prioritise investment with next month's Autumn Budget rather than “repeating the mistakes of the past” by cutting spending, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said.

As part of a Parliamentary debate today [24 September], Ms Robison will urge the UK Government to heed the advice of economists including Professor Mariana Mazzucato and Professor Anton Muscatelli, who have called for a strategy for substantially increasing public investment. She will also pledge to work with the UK Government to ensure the Budget best meets the needs of the people of Scotland.

Speaking ahead of the debate, the Finance Secretary said:

“The Autumn Budget is a chance for the Chancellor to prioritise investment over spending cuts. As a group of leading economists argued last week, UK Government under-investment has resulted in a ‘vicious circle of stagnation and decline', meaning a change in direction is needed.

“Like them, I am calling on the UK Government not to repeat the mistakes of the past, providing the funding we need for our core missions of eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving our public services and protecting the planet.

“I stand ready to work with the Chancellor to achieve this goal.”

Background

The Finance Secretary will open the Scottish Government Debate: The UK Budget – Scotland's Priorities from 2:50pm on Tuesday 24 September.