'Arrogant' John Swinney refuses to back down on pension claims

First Minister John Swinney has been accused of arrogance after ‘doubling down’ on claims that Scots are going to lose their pensions. The SNP leader said he has ‘nothing to explain’ despite accusations he misled Holyrood over claims about the UK Government ’s pensions reform. Swinney had claimed ‘we are now going to lose our pension’ after Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he would remove the ‘triple lock’ on pensions from 2030 to fund a national care service in England. The First Minister was accused of misleading the public over his comment and was urged by opposition MSPs to apologise for peddling misinformation. But at an event in Perth and Kinross on Monday, Swinney said: ‘I’ve got nothing to explain to Parliament about this issue. ‘Scottish pensioners were led to believe there was a triple lock going to be in place and that gave them legitimate expectations about the level of their pension. John Swinney has been accused of misleading Holyrood over claims about the UK Government’s pensions reform ‘They’re going to lose out on that because Andy Burnham is removing the triple lock. ‘That’s the hard reality that pensioners in Scotland are having to face up to, having been promised in 2014 that their pensions were safe. ‘Their pensions have been undermined by the Labour Government.’ Spending on social care in England is likely to lead to a huge cash windfall for the Scottish Government through the Barnett Formula, which could be spent on care or benefits for the elderly. But Swinney said: ‘None of us can foresee what the implications of these changes will be for the block grant in Scotland, because we’ve seen in recent years the block grant being reduced because of negative consequentials. ‘Nobody can tell me that that money is going to result in a rise in the Scottish Government’s budget.’ According to the ministerial code, they must give ‘accurate and truthful information to the parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity’. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: ‘Having alarmed Scots pensioners by peddling misinformation, John Swinney is now doubling down, which smacks of SNP arrogance. ‘If he’s really so confident that he’s done nothing wrong then he should welcome an investigation by the independent advisers on the ministerial code.’ Scottish Labour MSP Claire Baker also accused Swinney of ‘doubling down’ on his claims. She said: ‘It is completely wrong for the First Minister to suggest that people in Scotland could lose their pensions. This just amounts to scaremongering. ‘Andy Burnham and Michael Marra have both spoken about the need to do politics differently. ‘It is therefore unfortunate that John Swinney is choosing to push falsehoods and misinformation as the public deserve honesty from politicians. ‘On an issue as important as pensions, we should have a grown-up debate, not childish politicking from the SNP which only adds to people’s worry about the cost of living. ‘If the First Minister has respect for the Scottish Parliament, he will reflect on his remarks and take the first opportunity to correct the record.’