Scotland's opposition parties are calling for First Minister John Swinney to reverse unpopular cuts to free school meals and flat-rate rail fares after being defeated twice in the Holyrood parliament.
In a major test for the Prime Minister's minority government, opposition MSPs have united behind a Conservative motion to condemn the decisions to scrap plans to provide free school meals to all primary school children and to reintroduce peak-hour rail fares.
All four parties accused the Scottish Government of spending money unwisely and undermining efforts to tackle child poverty and the cost of living crisis.
The vote has no legislative effect, but the defeats highlight the difficulties Mr Swinney will face in passing his budget in December after Finance Minister Shauna Robison announced £960 million worth of cuts and spending adjustments last month.
Under Scottish Parliament rules, a budget needs a majority of votes, but the SNP is three votes short after former First Minister Humza Yousaf broke a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party.
Mr Swinney is hoping that UK finance minister Rachel Reeves will increase funding for Scottish devolved governments in October, allowing ministers in Edinburgh to buy support from at least one opposition party by striking a spending deal.
Scottish Conservative MP Liam Carr said Robison's decision to deny free school meals to all pupils in years 6 and 7, except those from families on pupil premium, went against the SNP's manifesto promises. “Promises were made and then broken,” he said.
Scotland's Education Secretary Jenny Gilrath said ministers would eventually like to fund the policy, but extending free school meals across the board would cost £256 million over the next two years – something she said was not budgetary.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hislop said attempts to significantly increase rail usage by scrapping peak rail fares had proven too costly: passenger numbers rose by 6.8%, but this mainly benefited middle-income earners and had little impact on overall car use.
Former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said Hislop's definition of middle-income earners was insulting and included people struggling to make ends meet, such as nurses, teaching assistants and cleaners who have to travel the train at rush hour to get to work.
Scottish Conservative MP Graham Simpson said low and simple fares were vital to increasing rail use, but peak-hour fares are set to effectively double from next week. “If the policy is to get more people to use the rail, then this is genius,” he said.
Mr Hyslop said Scots make five billion car journeys every year and the fixed fare trial had reduced the number of journeys by 0.1% at a cost of £40 million.
