The SNP’s Budget is set to pass after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said his party will abstain from voting.
First Minister John Swinney warned MSPs on Monday that blocking the draft Scottish Budget risked “real damage” to the NHS in his first speech of the new year.
The SNP leader warned opponents against “playing into the hands” of tech billionaire Elon Musk and his “glib solutions”.
On Tuesday, Sarwar told STV News his party would abstain from voting next month.
With the SNP in a minority administration at Holyrood, finance secretary Shona Robison and Swinney need at least one other party to back the draft Budget for it to pass.
“As far as this Budget goes, now that we know it’s going to pass we won’t vote against it, we’ll abstain,” Sarwar said.
“John Swinney can end the shadow-boxing; he already has the votes he needs to pass the Budget.
“We wanted to see a new directon in this Budget but sadly that’s clearly now not going to come and the chance for that comes in May 2026 with the election of a Scottish Labour government.”
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