Scottish election 2021 – Matt Hancock demands answers from SNP on ‘missing millions’ in NHS spending pledge – Daily Record

The UK Health Secretary made an intervention in the Scottish election campaign from the Commons despatch box when goaded on NHS spending by an SNP MP.

Matt Hancock has demanded to know what has happened to the “missing millions” meant for NHS spending in Scotland.

The UK Health Secretary went point scoring against the SNP in the Commons by asking why UK government funding for Scotland had not been translated into increased NHS spending.

During a Commons statement on coronavirus Hancock turned the tables on SNP MP Dave Doogan who asked the Health Secretary if he would match the SNP’s commitment to increase health spending by 20 per cent “to truly build back better”?

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon committed the SNP to a four per cent increase in NHS spending for each of the next five years if returned to office.

But Hancock was having none of it and challenged the real terms rise in spending.

Hancock responded: “I recently saw the figures for the proposed increase in NHS spending in Scotland and the proposed increase is lower than in England, it’s lower than the money that has been passed over to the Scottish Government from UK taxpayers to the Scottish Government to spend on the NHS in Scotland.”

“My question is what’s happened to the money for the NHS in Scotland that was given to the SNP government in Holyrood? They have not spent it on the NHS.”

Hancock was careful to praise the Scottish Government for co-operation on the pandemic response and the vaccination effort which he described as a “true UK success story”.

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