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Salmond in talks with UK parties | |
(about 15 hours later) | |
The Tories said they had "constructive" talks with First Minister Alex Salmond on their plans for government if they win the general election. | |
Shadow chancellor George Osborne and shadow Treasury secretary Philip Hammond met the SNP leader. | |
Mr Salmond also had talks with Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, and will meet the chancellor on Wednesday. | |
He said Scotland needed "absolute clarity" from the UK parties on its budget in the forthcoming year. | |
The Conservatives have already indicated they will "respect" the £30bn Scottish Budget for 2010-11, agreed by MSPs last month, but said savings would be needed in the following year, if they win power. | |
'Mutual respect' | |
Tory MP David Mundell, the shadow Scottish Secretary, said: "George Osborne, Philip Hammond and I held a constructive meeting with Alex Salmond today in Westminster to discuss the Conservatives' mutual respect agenda for Scotland in more detail, following our recent announcement regarding the Scottish Budget should we form the next UK government." | |
The party has also offered Holyrood access to cash left over from the Scottish Budget at the end of the financial year. | |
Mr Mundell added: "While we might not always concur on every issue, the Conservatives believe that a relationship built on a foundation of mutual respect would be in the best interest of the people we have been elected to serve." | |
Ahead of the meeting, a spokesman for the first minister claimed the UK Budget, announced by Mr Darling last week, amounted to the first real-terms cut for Scotland since devolution and could cost 4,000 jobs. | |
The spokesman said the Scottish government was also pressing for a £350m programme of capital acceleration, to enable vital infrastructure investment. | |
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