Shona Robison promised billions for public services and infrastructure, but behind the spin lies a stark reality: Scotland’s economy is stagnating, capital budgets are collapsing, and the SNP’s tax-heavy approach is driving investment away, says Struan Stevenson

Shona Robison stood up in Holyrood to deliver what may be her final Budget as SNP Finance Secretary. With a straight face, she declared that Scots would be “better off” under SNP rule, that the economy was built on “wealth creators” and that this was a bold, progressive blueprint for growth. But behind the stage-managed optimism lies a grim fiscal reality, Scotland’s finances are cracking, and this Budget does nothing to fix the structural rot at the heart of SNP economic policy.

Yes, Ms Robison scattered money around the chamber. She promised an extra £1.5 billion for public services, a record £17.6 billion for frontline NHS spending, new walk-in GP clinics on high streets, £5 billion for renewables and decarbonisation, £200 million for the A9, £1 billion for the Scottish Investment Bank, more ferries, more culture, more foreign aid, more international development, more retraining schemes and more council spending. She even dangled free sport in the summer. It was a blizzard of announcements designed to create the illusion of abundance.

But illusions do not fill a £1 billion black hole.

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The respected Fraser of Allander Institute has already........

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