SNP CHALLENGE GRAY TO END SILENCE OVER LABOUR CUTS.

SNP CHALLENGE IAIN GRAY TO END SILENCE OVER LABOUR CUTS.

Labour’s leader in the Scottish Parliament has been challenged to end his silence and reveal what public services he would cut as a result of the Chancellor’s admission that the Treasury is set on slashing Scotland’s public spending by as much as £1bn in the teeth of the recession.

SNP Glasgow MSP, Anne McLaughlin, said:

”Perhaps now that the Chancellor has confirmed Labour’s plans to slash Scottish spending, Iain Gray will finally acknowledge the reality of his party’s damaging cuts agenda.

”Alistair Darling and the UK Government are planning to raid Scotland’s health, education and housing budgets by introducing the first real term cut in Scotland’s public expenditure since the Tories in the 1990s, yet Iain Gray remains silent.

”Despite Westminster’s cuts, Iain Gray and his Labour colleagues at Holyrood have the temerity to demand additional spending. What they must do is join the Scottish Government in demanding that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling ditch their ill-thought out and dangerous billion pound cut that will cost jobs in Scotland.

”Labour Ministers in the Welsh government have been frank about what the cuts will mean for Wales - it is time Iain Gray ended his silence.

"The Scottish Government put forward responsible plans to win parliamentary approval to spend Scotland's budget allocation over three years. "For the UK Government to then come in and plan to chop £1 billion off is totally unacceptable – especially at a time when Scotland is in budget surplus, contributing far more to the UK exchequer than we get back in return. "Only SNP success in the European and General elections can stop Labour's billion pound cuts in their tracks.”