£1.3m bill... for ministers’ limos

SNP declared ‘climate emergency’ but car use is at a record high

SNP ministers have been accused of hypocrisy after spending on chauffeur-driven cars soared as they declared a ‘climate emergency’.

The Scottish Government spent a record £1.32million last year on ministerial car trips – which was 12 per cent higher than 2017/18.

The increase came as Nicola Sturgeon declared there was a climate emergency. She stepped up the war on the motorist with new measures to get Scots to give up their cars – including giving councils the power to introduce a tax on workplace parking.

A target has also been set to phase out all new petrol and diesel cars by 2032.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs, who obtained the figures in response to a parliamentary question, said: ‘The blatant hypocrisy of the SNP is simply jaw-dropping. In the same year the First Minister declared a climate emergency, they’ve increased their car usage. It’s one rule for the SNP Government and another for ordinary Scots.’

The cost of the Government Car Service has soared from £854,571 in 2006/07, before the SNP came to power, to £1.32million in 2018/19. This includes maintenance, private hire, fuel and salaries.

The total number of trips undertaken by ministers last year was 10,755, compared to 10,050 the previous year. Car journey logs show ministers regularly travel between the Scottish parliament and the Scottish Government’s HQ at St Andrew’s House by car.

Yet the two buildings are 0.4 miles apart and linked by a short path.

The Government Car Service’s 24 vehicles take Miss Sturgeon and her ministers to official appointments and events. They are also used by the Lord Advocate, Solicitor General, top civil servant Leslie Evans and visiting VIPs.

Miss Sturgeon’s climate declaration in April included a target for Scotland to be carbon-neutral by 2045.

The Scottish Government said 52 per cent of its ministerial fleet is now hybrid cars, while just over a third of the wider government fleet is electric or hybrid.

The SNP backed a Greens proposal to give councils the power to introduce workplace parking levies for the first time, and is in the process of forcing changes to the law through parliament.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We continually look for ways to minimise the use of cars, for example, by car sharing.

‘Where practical to do so, ministers also use public transport or walk to their engagements. This is not always practical if it is necessary for them to carry out sensitive government business during their journey.’

‘Simply jawdropping’