SNP attacked over economy slump

The Scottish Government has come under fire over a culture of “secrecy” after it emerged that almost £5 billion has been wiped off the value of the economy.

Official figures released last week only came to light over the weekend which show that Scottish GDP has been slashed by 3 per cent, a cut of £5bn

The revision, down to £175bn from £180bn, now raises doubts about Scotland’s economic health as Nicola Sturgeon demands a fresh independence referendum.

The GDP quarterly national accounts for Scotland show Scotland’s national deficit of £12.6bn, 7 per cent of GDP, has now risen to 7.2 per cent.

The downward revision to total GDP pushes Scotland’s finances further away from the European Union’s 3 per cent deficit limit on member states.

Economist John Mclaren, who had to contact the Scottish Government to access the GDP figures, said the figures have “important implications” for Scotland’s fiscal standing.

Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: “Once again, the SNP have been caught red-handed trying to sweep their economic failures under the rug. Nicola Sturgeon must explain to the Scottish people why her government can’t just tell the truth.

“Whether it’s handwritten notes, minute-less meetings, or making up financial figures – Sturgeon’s SNP stopped behaving like a responsible party of government a long time ago.”

The GDP figures were published last week but were not announced by the Scottish Government in its economic press release, issued on the same day, and were not available on its statistical website.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the downward revision of total GDP had been accompanied by an upward revision in the value of onshore GDP.