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Crunch vote due on transport plan Climbdown over transport defeat
(about 7 hours later)
The Scottish government is expected to confirm its backing for a new Forth crossing later. The Scottish government has backed down over its opposition to major transport projects in Edinburgh after suffering its first Holyrood defeat.
The SNP administration faces defeat, however, over its opposition to trams and an airport rail link in Edinburgh. It will now go ahead with the capital's trams project, but the city's airport rail link looks far less certain.
The government is concerned they do not represent value for money, but Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats will vote to support them at Holyrood. Opposition MSPs voted down a motion to endorse the minority government's transport priorities.
Despite the move, ministers have previously indicated they may not be bound by parliamentary votes. Finance Secretary John Swinney agreed to bow to the will of parliament - but said this may not always happen.
Opposition parties want the trams - backed by the last parliament - to go ahead, on the proviso that any cost overrun would be met by the city council. Earlier, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson announced plans for a new Forth crossing, but also raised concern about the state of several other major transport projects in Scotland during a statement to Holyrood.
The SNP have hunted high and low for a justification for their irrational opposition to Edinburgh's trams project and the Edinburgh Airport rail link Tavish Scott MSPFormer transport minister MSPs backed a parliamentary amendment by Labour's Wendy Alexander, urging the executive to proceed with a tram network planned for Edinburgh and to make progress on the airport rail link.
They also want ministers to sort out problems with the airport rail link - identified by Scotland's spending watchdog, the auditor general, - before final financial commitments are made. Many of us feel that Earl as a project is so fatally flawed that it will kill itself off without the need for a motion here to do it Patrick Harvie MSPScottish Green Party
The former transport minister, Tavish Scott, said the government lacked any good reason to abandon the projects, while Labour called on the minority administration to respect the will of parliament. Mr Swinney agreed to come back to parliament in the autumn with revised proposals for the airport link, but the project could be in doubt.
"The SNP have hunted high and low for a justification for their irrational opposition to Edinburgh's trams project and the Edinburgh Airport rail link," said Mr Scott, now the Lib Dem finance spokesman. He added: "On this occasion we believe it is appropriate to accede to the will of parliament and the government will respect the terms of the motion that has been passed."
"However, at the end of the day they still have no good reason to abandon these projects." Ms Alexander, Labour's finance spokeswoman, said Mr Stevenson's statement was a cover for killing the airport link, known as Earl, and the trams.
Government motion "Let no-one be in any doubt that Earl and trams are being killed because the executive can not make their sums add up," she said, claiming the future of Scotland's capital was at stake.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said the Scottish government would listen to the transport debate "with great interest". "From an executive which has spent money like confetti over recent weeks it really does not wash."
He added: "We have made our position very clear in that we think there are better ways to spend £500m of public money. Play ball
"The auditor general has identified a shortfall in this particular project and who is meant to fill that financial gap? Conservative finance spokesman Derek Brownlee said his party supported the amendment because of its notion of a cap on the government's contribution to the trams, and would send a signal to those behind the project that costs would have to be controlled.
"Obviously the government will take part in the debate with great interest and we will reflect on whatever conclusion is reached at the end of the day." "If they cannot finance the construction of the project within the budget, they are being allocated then they will bear the responsibility for the public money which has already been spent," he said.
MSPs will vote on a government motion in the Scottish Parliament, which notes the SNP's election pledge to scrap the two Edinburgh projects, as well as plans for an additional Forth crossing. Former transport minister Tavish Scott said the SNP had "dug a hole of their own making".
The Liberal Democrat finance spokesman accused the government of commissioning the spending watchdog, auditor general Robert Black, to try and justify their claim that costs were spiralling out of control.
"Bob Black didn't play ball - the Auditor General concluded there was no evidence that costs were out of control," he said.
"All three ministers - Mr Salmond, Mr Swinney and Mr Stevenson - said the costs were out of control. They are not."
Green MSP Patrick Harvie claimed that public support for trams was overwhelming, but added: "Many of us feel that Earl as a project is so fatally flawed that it will kill itself off without the need for a motion here to do it."