AN SNP MSP has accused the Scottish Secretary of choosing “to lie on air” amid a row over an apparently false statement about the SNP Finance Secretary.
The contentious comment came as Ian Murray spoke on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland show on Tuesday morning, and was challenged on why the Scottish Government had not been given forewarning of Labour's cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment.
Also appearing on the show, SNP Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee had said Labour had given just 90 minutes notice of their plans, which he said were “absolutely austerity”.
Asked about McKee’s comments and how that fit in with a Labour pledge to “reset” devolved relationships, Murray said the Scottish Government “knew 90 minutes before anybody else did”.
He then appeared to suggest that Finance Secretary Shona Robison had not taken a call from Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones because she was on “holiday”.
Murray said: “I understand that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury tried to contact his opposite number in the Scottish Parliament, the Government yesterday, and she was unavailable, I think on holiday, which is right for that to be the case.
“So these calls were made, they were made at the appropriate time, and of course, resetting the relationship is really, really important. That's what we have been striving to do.”
However, the SNP and Scottish Government have both said that claim was untrue, that Robison was not on holiday, and that she did talk to Jones.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State for Scotland is mistaken.
“A call took place between the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance yesterday afternoon in advance of the Chancellor’s Statement.”
SNP MSP Kevin Stewart went further, accusing Murray of having chosen “to lie”.
Stewart said: "Throughout the election campaign the Labour party lied and told voters across the UK there were no spending cuts coming down the line.
"Both the IFS [Institute for Fiscal Studies] and the SNP repeatedly warned about a blackhole in Labour's spending plans of at least £18bn. Just weeks on, Labour confirmed yesterday there will be spending cuts of £22bn as they ushered in a new era of austerity.
"But rather than finally coming clean to the Scottish public, Labour's Ian Murray chose to lie again on air this morning – falsely claiming the UK Government couldn't meet with Scotland's Finance Secretary ahead of the statement yesterday.
"This is plainly wrong, and it's frankly embarrassing that weeks into the job the new Scottish Secretary is spreading disinformation about the relationship between the UK and Scottish Government.
"Ian Murray lied about Labour's spending plans during the election and he has been caught out lying again here."
The Scotland Office has been approached for comment.
