PLEDGE TO REINSTATE GLASGOW AIRPORT RAIL LINK
 
Labour’s Andy Kerr has condemned the SNP for doing a tawdry deal with the Tories over the budget and pledged that Labour’s manifesto for the 2011 Scottish election will include a commitment to reinstate the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
 
He added that official budget tables showed that slippage in the Edinburgh tram project had freed up £53.9 million in the capital budget. This is significantly more than the £35.4 million saved from cancelling the rail link.  
 
The Scottish Government has also benefited from a £60 million boost to the budget because of a rise in Scotland’s share of UK spending. The SNP have benefited from a record settlement that is more than double the budget available to Donald Dewar.
 
Shadow Finance Secretary Andy Kerr said:
 
"The facts are that the Scottish Government’s budget for 2010-2011 is rising by almost £1 billion, but the SNP have done a tawdry deal with the Tories to sell Scotland down the river.
 
“Scottish Labour will continue to fight for Scottish jobs and I promise that our manifesto for the 2011 election will include a commitment to reinstate the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
 
"We also needed to see much more substantial action to address the black hole that the SNP have created in the housing budget and substantial measures to invest in training and apprenticeships.
 
“It is frankly appalling that Alex Salmond and John Swinney can find money for a referendum but not for valuable infrastructure projects. They have put their own political obsession ahead of Scotland’s economic recovery.”  

3 February 2010