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First ministers to resist 'cuts' First ministers face PM on 'cuts'
(about 9 hours later)
Gordon Brown is due to come under fire from the UK's first ministers over the Treasury's planned efficiency savings. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has said there was "no doubt" he could work with Gordon Brown to help families and businesses through tough times.
The proposals aim to save £5bn over the next few years - but the Scottish Government said the move would cost it hundreds of millions of pounds. His comments came after a meeting between the prime minister and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish first ministers at Westminster.
The concerns will be raised when Mr Brown sits down with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish first ministers at Westminster. But Mr Salmond again said the UK Government efficiency drive would cut £500m a year off the Scottish budget.
But the prime minister is expected to demand that the savings are made. Mr Salmond was accused of turning the meeting into a squabble.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has denounced the plan as "utter madness", but Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, criticised him for trying to turn the meeting into a "squabble between London and Edinburgh". Speaking after the event, Mr Salmond said: "We had a good, businesslike meeting, and there is no doubt that we can work well together to help families and business during tough economic times."
Politicians seem to want to fight with each other, rather than fight the recession Jim MurphySecretary of state for Scotland Spending powers
The Holyrood and Westminster Governments have been able to agree on several spending policy areas, such as the acceleration of cash to fund major public infrastructure projects. But he added: "At a time when we are trying to save jobs, it is entirely wrong to put thousands of jobs at risk by cutting public spending in the teeth of a recession.
But Scottish ministers argued that to go ahead with the proposal during the current economic crisis could be disastrous - a view, they said, which was shared by ministers in Wales and Northern Ireland. "Official Scottish Government figures show a £500m annual cut to public spending would destroy 8,700 jobs in Scotland, right across the economy."
SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said he was "very hopeful" the prime minister would listen to the arguments, adding: "It's not just about Scotland, it's about our neighbours in Wales and Northern Ireland too. The Holyrood and Westminster Governments have already been able to agree on several spending policy areas, such as the acceleration of cash to fund major public infrastructure projects.
"We're going into this downturn, it is the wrong thing to cut back on key public services at this time." But the two administrations have disagreed over the UK Government's efficiency plan announced in the pre-Budget report, which aims to save £5bn over the next few years in an effort to help save the country from a deep recession.
The UK Government's efficiency plan, announced in the pre-Budget report, aims to help save the UK from a deep recession, but has taken the country's borrowing to record levels. Scottish ministers argued that to go ahead with the proposal during the current economic crisis could be disastrous - a view, they said, which was shared by ministers in Wales and Northern Ireland.
'Fiction as fact' Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy told BBC Scotland the Scottish budget had more than doubled to £33bn since devolution.
Mr Murphy told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme the Scottish budget had more than doubled to £33bn since devolution, and accused Scottish ministers of putting forward a worst-case scenario and trying to "dress that fiction up as a fact". He accused SNP ministers of putting forward a worst-case scenario and trying to "dress that fiction up as a fact".
'Tightening belts'
"The Scottish Government believes they're the only organisation in Scotland that can't cut out some waste and bureaucracy," he said."The Scottish Government believes they're the only organisation in Scotland that can't cut out some waste and bureaucracy," he said.
"Politicians seem to want to fight with each other, rather than fight the recession. It's unfortunate that Mr Salmond, in this first meeting of its type, has chosen to turn this into a squabble between London and Edinburgh.""Politicians seem to want to fight with each other, rather than fight the recession. It's unfortunate that Mr Salmond, in this first meeting of its type, has chosen to turn this into a squabble between London and Edinburgh."
The Scottish Secretary said he wanted all the UK's administrations to join forces to tackle the recession, adding: "I want to see the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Irish Assembly and, importantly, the UK Government all tighten their belts in the same way that families across Scotland are doing." The Scottish Secretary said he wanted all the UK's administrations to join forces to tackle the recession.
Present at the meeting with Mr Brown will be Mr Salmond, Mr Murphy, Wales's First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Secretary of State Paul Murphy, and Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and Secretary of State Sean Woodward. He added: "I want to see the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Irish Assembly and, importantly, the UK Government all tighten their belts in the same way that families across Scotland are doing."
It will come as the Scottish Government has stepped up calls for greater, and ultimately full, control over Scotland's finances. Present at the meeting with Mr Brown were Mr Salmond, Mr Murphy, Wales's First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Secretary of State Paul Murphy, and Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and Secretary of State Sean Woodward.
It came as the Scottish Government stepped up calls for greater, and ultimately full, control over Scotland's finances.