Wishart and Liberal Democrats will back Scottish budget

Beatrice Wishart

Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart will back the proposed Scottish budget on Wednesday after the Holyrood government reached a deal with her Liberal Democrat party and the Greens.

The Liberal Democrats say they have secured extra funding of over £300 million on issues including an extra £120 million for mental health services.

Ms Wishart said: “This year’s budget is obviously different in that it is being delivered in the midst of a pandemic. With that in mind, it has been the focus of the Scottish Liberal Democrats to make sure that recovery is put first.

“During this year’s budget negotiation process, led by Willie Rennie for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, further revenue funding was secured for internal ferry services, along with a plethora of other funding including a critical additional £120 million for mental health services.”

The Liberal Democrats at Holyrood have faced previous criticism for refusing to back the SNP’s budget.