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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Forth bridge payment plan blocked | Forth bridge payment plan blocked |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The new Forth bridge will not be paid for with a cash advance from the UK treasury. | |
| The chancellor's department has rejected a request from the Scottish government to spread the cost of the £2bn bridge over 20 years. | |
| Finance Secretary John Swinney had asked for special permission from the UK government to pay for the new bridge with cash from future capital budgets. | Finance Secretary John Swinney had asked for special permission from the UK government to pay for the new bridge with cash from future capital budgets. |
| But the chief secretary to the treasury said this was not a "credible option". | But the chief secretary to the treasury said this was not a "credible option". |
| Yvette Cooper has suggested alternatives such as building up a big underspend or using a public private partnership (PPP). | Yvette Cooper has suggested alternatives such as building up a big underspend or using a public private partnership (PPP). |
| The Scottish government said her suggestions were "ridiculous". | The Scottish government said her suggestions were "ridiculous". |
| First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC Radio Scotland: "What we are proposing is thoroughly sensible and thoroughly credible. | |
| "I'm not taking no for an answer. | |
| "When we have these productive discussions, he [the chancellor] will see the great virtue in our plan to enable Scotland to go ahead with this extraordinary capital investment without impinging and forcing a delay on capital projects in Edinburgh, for example." | |
| Mr Darling explained the reasoning for the refusal to BBC Radio Scotland's The Business programme. I am sorry that for ideological reasons they have ruled out using public private partnerships Alastair Darling | |
| He said: "Firstly there is no doubt that we need a second Forth crossing. | He said: "Firstly there is no doubt that we need a second Forth crossing. |
| "We are happy to work with the Scottish government. | "We are happy to work with the Scottish government. |
| "If you are contemplating large projects like this you do need to make choices. | "If you are contemplating large projects like this you do need to make choices. |
| "The Scottish government's no different from any other large organisations. | "The Scottish government's no different from any other large organisations. |
| "I am sorry that for ideological reasons they have ruled out using public private partnerships. | "I am sorry that for ideological reasons they have ruled out using public private partnerships. |
| "We will work with the Scottish government, but their particular scheme where they were asking to borrow money from budgets which are yet to be allocated over an extremely long period - that's something that we simply don't do. | "We will work with the Scottish government, but their particular scheme where they were asking to borrow money from budgets which are yet to be allocated over an extremely long period - that's something that we simply don't do. |
| "I think they ought to have been aware of it and they could have found out if they had asked earlier." | "I think they ought to have been aware of it and they could have found out if they had asked earlier." |
| The Scottish government now plans to pay for the bridge from existing capital budgets, which means other major public works will have to wait in a queue for funding. | The Scottish government now plans to pay for the bridge from existing capital budgets, which means other major public works will have to wait in a queue for funding. |