JOHN Swinney has been left embarrassed by rivals after suffering a double defeat for his government at the Scottish Parliament.
The First Minister lost back-to-back votes brought forward by the Scottish Tories which criticised him for rowing back on an SNP promise to extend free school meals universally to P6 and P7 pupils, and for ditching a discounted ScotRail fares pilot.
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Opposition MSPs voted in favour of two motions pushing for a U-turn on both decisions – and while not binding for the government, the votes gave an opportunity for rivals to pan ministers over their cost-cutting measures.
Following the votes in parliament on Wednesday evening, Scottish Tory chief whip Alexander Burnett said: “John Swinney must see the error of his ways and drop these damaging plans in the wake of two humiliating parliamentary defeats inflicted by the Scottish Conservatives.
“By refusing to deliver free school meals to all primary pupils in this parliament, he is breaking a direct pledge on which the SNP were elected. It also makes a mockery of claims that tackling child poverty is his top priority.
“The reintroduction of peak ScotRail fares is a hammer blow to commuters which will also undermine the SNP Government’s goal of getting people out of their cars and onto public transport.
“Both announcements, which stem from the SNP’s mismanagement of Scotland’s finances, have sparked anger among the public – and MSPs have rightly given voice to that fury today.
“John Swinney would be both arrogant and foolish to ignore today’s Holyrood double whammy.”
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth had earlier attempted to shift blame to Westminster for the decision to restrict the extension of free school meals to P6 and P7 to those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, as she hit out at “austerity” by Labour.
She told MSPs: “Austerity is a political choice, it matters not one iota, whether red or blue – the result is less money for Scotland, less money for education and less money for our children.”
The Scottish Greens, who were formerly partners in government with the SNP before being booted out by ex-First Minister Humza Yousaf, underlined that scrapping peak fares and universal school meals were two of their party’s key policies when entering into the Bute House Agreement.
Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “This has been an important day for the Scottish Parliament, and it was telling that the rest of the opposition have no ideas of their own, so spent the afternoon arguing for policies that we secured by the Scottish Greens as part of the Bute House Agreement.”
