John Swinney says Rachel Reeves has painted 'appalling picture' of UK finances

dailyrecord.co.uk:

John Swinney has said Rachel Reeves has painted an "appalling picture" of the future of the UK's public finances.The First Minister spoke out today following a statement by the new Labour Chancellor on a £22 billion spending gap faced by the UK Government.Reeves tore into Rishi Sunak's former government and claimed the Conservatives had previously been committing cash to projects it could not afford.In a statement to MPs, the Chancellor set out "immediate action" to address the shortfall by £5.5 billion while the rest will be addressed at the next UK Budget on October 30.The SNP leader warned the statement by the new Labour Chancellor would inevitably affect funding available to Scotland.Swinney said: "The Chancellor has painted an appalling picture of the financial future facing the UK.

By echoing the previous government’s fiscal rules, they are trapped into delivering massive spending cuts.“We warned this was the reality and today has seen that truth validated.

Now, if they do not change course, the reality of the UK’s finances will inevitably affect the funding available to us here in Scotland.

Their decisions today mean tough decisions ahead for Scotland.“What is particularly worrying is that the Chancellor announced she is not fully funding the public sector pay deals she has accepted.