SNP’s ‘epic incompetence’ has wasted £6.2bn of taxpayers’ cash, Tories claim

The SNP has wasted £6.2 billion of taxpayers’ cash in the last five years, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed.

Tory leader Russell Findlay accused the Scottish Government of “idiotic and epic incompetence”.

He pointed to a reported £1.8 billion in costs incurred through the failure of ministers to eradicate delayed discharge in hospitals, as well as the £1 billion being spent on a new Glasgow prison originally costed at £100 million.

Mr Findlay also criticised the Government over the ballooning costs of two ferries built at Ferguson Marine, which have seen costs surge to about £460 million.

The Scottish Government also came under fire over its record of defending itself in court, with the Tories saying £1 million was spent defending gender self-ID plans.

Among its figures, the party also includes the reported £2.7 million cost of the Operation Branchform police investigation into the SNP’s finances, £400,000 on lifting the ministerial pay freeze, and £60,000 on Police Scotland’s Hate Monster campaign, among a host of others.

Mr Findlay said SNP “incompetence” had, in effect, amounted to wasted spending to the tune of £6.2 billion.

“John Swinney’s SNP has thrown away at least £6.2 billion of taxpayers’ cash through their idiotic and epic incompetence,” he said.

“This vast sum of squandered money could and should have been used to cut the taxes of hard-working Scots and improve broken public services.

“All the while, these nationalist wastrels decided to spend even more precious public cash on their desire to break up the United Kingdom.

“Scots can bring an end to the SNP’s disrespectful misuse of people’s money by voting Scottish Conservative on the peach ballot paper on May 7 to stop an SNP majority.”

The SNP has been approached for comment.