JOHN Swinney faces paying a high price for rivals to back his budget — and avoid a snap election.
Lorna Slater said it was “very hard to imagine” the Scottish Greens supporting the Nats’ spending plans.
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Other parties also hinted they will be making steep demands.
The sparring came days after Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced £1billion in savings, including a £460million raid of a one-off green fund and almost £200million in service cuts.
She will present Nats’ proposals to Holyrood on December 4, with the first vote expected in February.
If unsuccessful, the First Minister could face a no-confidence vote. Should Mr Swinney lose that he would be expected to stand down, potentially sparking a sudden election.
Tory MSP Liz Smith admitted: “It’s almost impossible to see any circumstances in which we’d be able to back these measures.”
Scots Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said there was “considerable distance” between his party and the ruling SNP.
Labour insisted they’d work in “good faith” during the budget process.
But finance spokesman Michael Marra urged Nats to “open the books” after making a “mess” of public spending.
And indy-backing Alba warned “specific policy matters” must be on the table to win the support of their sole MSP, Ash Regan.
Nats public finance minister Ivan McKee last night blasted their rivals for “playing politics”, adding: “There are conversations to be had with every party.”
