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Swinney’s slimmed-down plans prompt criticism of ‘managed decline’

First minister makes eradicating child poverty his top priority while Scottish Labour says he had ‘no vision’

John Swinney has been accused of signalling “18 months of managed decline” in the run-up to the next Scottish parliament elections, as he set out his inaugural programme for government the day after his finance secretary announced savage cuts to fill a £1bn hole in this year’s government finances.

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the first minister’s programme – the Holyrood equivalent of the king’s speech – revealed “an SNP government with no vision, no strategy and no plan”, while the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, Roz Foyer, said the slimmed-down prospectus indicated “managed decline” ahead of the 2026 elections.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AkFLxRY
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