Scotland to get £1bn Barnett bonus

Scotland is on course to receive a £1 billion bonus from the UK as a result of Barnett consequentials from the UK government’s National Productivity Investment Fund.

The Scottish Government confirmed the figures in a written answer to Scottish Conservative MSP Dean Lockhart. The answer states Scotland has already received £110 million and is set to receive £206m this year, rising to £312m and £370m in the years to 2019 and 2020. The total Barnett bonus will be £1bn by 2021.

Last week the SNP made a number of spending promises intended to boost productivity in its Programme for Government. Scottish productivity continues to stagnate and is lower than it was in 2010.

Shadow economy secretary Dean Lockhart said: “Yet again the SNP has taken money from the UK to fund its pet projects and eye-catching freebies and dressed it up as nationalist largesse.

“The SNP has failed to tackle the problem of low productivity in Scotland or the 11-year stagnation of the Scottish economy.

“The SNP’S short-termism is damaging the Scottish economy. No amount of money can hide that this tired and divided SNP government is out of ideas.

“Scotland’s poor economic performance is nothing to do with lack of money.”