Row over EU replacement funding for Midlothian

A political row has broken out after the EU replacement funding for Midlothian was announced by the UK Government, with Scotland receiving £151 million short of the £183 million promised.

Midlothian North MSP Colin Beattie (SNP) has accused the Westminster Tory Government of “failing the people of Midlothian” by short-changing them by the equivalent of nearly £2.6m through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Following Brexit, the UK Government promised to replace every penny of the money Scotland previously received from the European Union. For this year, it is estimated that would have been £183m. However, figures just published show that Scotland will receive only £32m this year. That is £151m short of the £183m promised and works out at an estimated equivalent of £2.6m for Midlothian.

Mr Beattie said: “Not only did the people of Midlothian not vote for Tory Brexit, we are paying a very high price for this disastrous Tory obsession.

File photo of an EU and Union flag held aloft in Westminster, London. PA

“EU funding has supported infrastructure projects and community initiatives across the country since the 1970s, with Scotland receiving and delivering more than £6 billion of EU Structural Funds.

“Being short-changed again by the Tories, this time to the equivalent of £2.6m really adds insult to injury for the people of Midlothian.

“This demonstrates exactly why the Tories’ sick joke of ‘levelling up’ actually means our community losing out.

“Not only that, the Scottish Government previously made decisions about how best to spend the EU money based on local priorities. Now a UK Tory Government is cutting Scotland’s elected Government out of the decision-making process. That is both a betrayal of democracy and a disgrace that money will be spent on Tory priorities which will fail to meet the needs of communities in Midlothian.

“This is yet another shocking demonstration why the Tories cannot be trusted with Scotland’s future. Scotland deserves better than Partygate liar Boris Johnson’s litany of broken promises.”

Responding to Mr Beattie’s comments, Scottish Conservatives Lothian List MSP Jeremy Balfour said: “This is typical bluff and bluster from the SNP. The UK Government has delivered a record block grant to the SNP Government and are now delivering yet more money to level up our communities.

“Yet instead of welcoming it, all we see is more criticism from the SNP.

“Levelling Up funding has the potential to transform our communities in Midlothian and that is why Scottish Conservative councillors here who are elected on May 5th will be looking to secure as much funding as possible from it.

“These elections are not about Boris Johnson, no matter how much the SNP want to spin that line. They are about the local priorities in Midlothian and that is what the Scottish Conservatives are fully focused on in this campaign.”