SNP ministers are under pressure to distance themselves from the Greens after Scotland’s public spending deficit shrank as a result of record oil and gas revenues.
A bumper £9.4 billion from the North Sea, up from £2.4 billion in the previous year, was the major contributor to the improvement in public finances.
High energy prices, as well as the UK government’s energy profits levy, were behind the rise. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (Gers) figures also showed better contributions from income tax, national insurance and VAT.
Ryan Crighton, the policy director for Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “What these figures show is that our energy sector is critical to any future economic success Scotland might hope to achieve. This year’s figures show
