The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Salmond’ s warning over A9
Alex Salmond has warned likely first minister John Swinney he could pay the “heaviest of political prices” if projects such as completing the dualling of the A9 are put on hold to appease the Scottish Greens.
He spoke as he prepared to give evidence to a Holyrood committee probing delays to work to upgrade the A9 from Perth to Inverness to dual carriageway.
The former first minister is expected to express his “bitter disappointment that unacceptable lack of progress has been made on delivering a promise made to the people of the Highlands of Scotland by the Scottish Government”.
His comments came ahead of today’s close of SNP leadership nominations – with Mr
Swinney likely to be the only candidate.
He is expected to be voted in as Scotland’s seventh first minister in a ballot at the Scottish Parliament later this week.
The SNP lack a majority and he will likely be forced to rely on the Greens.
But Mr Salmond warned him not to further delay work on the A9.
Mr Salmond said he had made a “firm commitment to complete the dualling of the A9 to Inverness by 2025 at a historic Cabinet meeting in Inverness Town House in 2008”.
He added that, after he left office, “like many essential projects, it was allowed to slip down the capital agenda with the eyes of the Scottish Government increasingly focused on niche policies of the Scottish Green Party”.
He said when he stepped down in 2014, the project was “on track for delivery”.
“The Scottish Government I led had a track record of delivery. We promised to do things and we then delivered them.
“That’s what we did with the M80, the Borders Railway, the Aberdeen bypass, the M74 and the Queensferry Crossing. Only the Highlands were let down after 2014.”
He added: “The job of the Scottish Government is to provide the infrastructure required to allow the Highlands and Islands to flourish whether it be roads in the mainland, ferries to the islands or electronic infrastructure everywhere.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the A96 and the A9.
“There are no plans to change these”.