Forbes: We have no more money to help firms or workers in any new lockdown

SCOTLAND’S Finance Secretary has warned she has no money to support businesses or furloughed workers if ministers are forced to introduce another lockdown unless the UK Government pays for it.

Kate Forbes told MSPS the Scottish Government does not have the cash to pay for support for businesses if restrictions are introduced following a dramatic increase in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.

Under questioning from the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee, Ms Forbes stressed ministers have not been discussing plans to reimpose restrictions or a circuit-breaker lockdown.

With new daily cases reaching a record high of 7,113 on Sunday, a Government spokesman said: “No-one wants to see a return of formal restrictions, but we cannot rule anything out as cases continue to surge.”

National Clinical Director Jason Leitch has warned Scotland may need a “reverse gear” on some restrictions.

Ms Forbes, who is self-isolating after a family member tested positive, said the Government’s finances are “just not sufficient” to offer furlough and other support without the help of the UK Government.

She said: “One of the biggest challenges right now from a financial perspective is the fact there hasn’t been that much additional consequential funding from the UK Government in the last few months.

“Right now we are trying to remobilise the health service, remobilise the justice system, remobilise a whole host of different public services, as well as deal with the ongoing Covid impact from a budget that has not been supplemented by additional consequentials coming from the UK Government in the way it was last year.”

She added that “the pressures on the Scottish budget are such we really, really need the sort of structural supports for businesses to be in place – furlough, self-employed income support – if we were to find ourselves going into another lockdown”.

Ms Forbes continued: “That’s not what we’re discussing at the moment; we’re talking about trying to maximise the impact of the baseline measures.

“But if we were to, then we have no certainty that furlough will be in place, we have no certainty that self-employed income support will be in place, and I have no certainty there will be any additional funding in place. I am not sitting on funds right now that I could deploy to support businesses. We would need additional help from the UK Government.

“The Scottish Government’s resources are just not sufficient to help businesses to the level they need to be supported through furlough and self-employed income support.

“So we would need to ask the UK Government for additional help because it would require funding on a scale that we cannot provide in light of the need to balance and fix our budget.”