BREAD & BUTTER BUDGET

By taking the extra money raised by Chancellor Reeves and spending it on the policies that affect people's pockets, the First Minister is laying a trap for Labour in 2026

- PAUL HUTCHEON

JOHN Swinney's first Budget as leader amounts to the SNP government's most positive moment in years.

The Nationalists have been in freefall over failures in office, tawdry infighting and the nightmare of Operation Branchform. But the Budget is evidence that the Scottish Government has its mojo back.

Swinney has ditched the niche concerns that dogged his predecessors and focused on bread and butter issues that matter to people.

Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves' awful means test of the Winter Fuel Payment? Gone.

The two-child cap that has been inexplicably kept in place by the Labour Government? Gone in 2026, details to be confirmed.

Those two measures alone are progressive policies that no Labour MSP should be opposing.

Swinney's Budget is morally right and also politically clever by throwing down the gauntlet for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Reeves jacked up taxes by £40billion to protect spending on public services last month and the knock-on effect was £3.4billion extra for Scotland.

Swinney is using the extra cash to scrap Westminster's most unpopular policies and drawing a contrast with his own administration. He is now daring Sarwar to vote down a Budget that will benefit low income pensioners and lead to more money for poorer kids.

Extra cash for housing and the NHS has also allowed Swinney to portray himself as a Scottish Santa bearing gifts for hard-pressed Scots.

The tax and spending plan stands in contrast to the dismal fare offered by the SNP government in its last few budgets.