Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick has claimed Labour are in denial over their role in creating the financial crisis engulfing the country.
Labour leader Iain Gray challenged the Scottish Government to publish a draft budget now so public sector bodies can gauge where the estimated £3.7 billion of cuts over the next four years will take place and plan accordingly.
The SNP has consistently refused to give any indication of where it is looking to make savings until after the UK Government’s spending review in November.
Mr Gray said cuts are inevitable, but he believed frontline services should be protected as much as possible.
However, although Mr FitzPatrick has accused Mr Gray of being in “complete denial” over Labour’s role in creating the economic crisis, he refused to give any indication where cuts may fall in Scotland.
“I was disappointed to read Mr Gray’s call for the SNP Government to be ‘honest’ about forthcoming cuts in the public sector,” he said. “He is prepared to blame everyone but Labour for the present situation.
“He hopes the public will forget that Labour were in power for the past 13 years, with the recession beginning to bite during the last two. You simply cannot trust a word which Iain Gray says.
“Alistair Darling, who until only 11 weeks ago was the Chancellor, admitted that any public spending cuts by Labour would be ‘tougher and deeper’ than those implemented by Margaret Thatcher.
“Andy Kerr, Mr Gray’s own finance spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, called for the Scottish Government to implement the cuts more quickly. Iain Gray has avoided saying whether he agreed with the former Chancellor that Labour’s cuts would be ‘tougher and deeper’ than Margaret Thatcher’s.
“Nor did he say whether Andy Kerr was right to call for even quicker cuts in Scotland. Frankly, the public will not be fooled.”