Humza Yousaf, Scotland's First Minister, and predecessor Nicola Sturgeon (Image: GETTY)
Humza Yousaf’s SNP has spent a whopping ￡3.5million pursuing Scottish independence since the last general election, eye-opening new research has revealed.
Analysis of several Freedom of Information requests submitted by campaign group Scotland in Union, coupled with parliamentary questions, lays bare the vast sums involved in producing nationalist propaganda, ranging from mounting legal challenges to the diversion of civil service resources.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “This is an obscene waste of taxpayers’ money.
“When the housing budget is being slashed, the NHS is in chaos, and families and businesses alike are desperate for economic growth, diverting public resources to the SNP’s divisive campaign is unforgivable.
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Costs included:
A Scottish Government ‘constitutional futures division’ with salary costs of ￡1.39 million last year, involving 25 civil servants at one point
A legal bill of ￡252,000 for the failed attempt to hold a second referendum
More than ￡150,000 on the design, print and translation costs of a series of policy papers on a separate Scotland
Almost ￡70,000 on the creation of a Minister for Independence - with Jamie Hepburn appointed to the role
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Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Government's Minister for Independence (Image: Getty)
The analysis puts the total bill at an estimated ￡3.44 million between September 2021 – when Nicola Sturgeon outlined her Programme for Government after that year’s election – and this month.
The real figure may be even higher, because the Scottish Government does not provide detailed breakdowns.
In the wake of the public service cuts announced in the recent draft budget, has called on Scotland in Union called on the government to rein in its spending.
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Ms Nash added: “Civil servants and ministers should be focused on what really matters to people.
“In 2024, the SNP must end the spend on its constitutional obsession and govern for all the people of Scotland.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the SNP for comment.
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