Hunt: Scottish independence case based on extremist, crank think-tank economics

The Chancellor was responding to a question by the SNP’s Stewart Hosie.

The Scotland-England border on the A68 near Jedburgh (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Archive)

Jeremy Hunt has suggested the case for Scottish independence is based on “extremist, crank think-tank” economics.

The Chancellor was challenged by the SNP’s Stewart Hosie (Dundee East) to disown the “extremist, crank, experimental think-tank economics” adopted by Prime Minister Liz Truss in recent weeks.

But Mr Hunt countered by saying he would be happy to if Mr Hosie distanced himself from the thinking behind the support of Scotland’s departure from the union.

The exchanges came after Mr Hunt confirmed to Parliament that the UK Government would be reversing many of the policies announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng following a tumultuous few weeks.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hosie said: “When the Chancellor spoke about difficult questions to be faced in the future, I hope he’s not going to fall into the old trap of trying to cut his way to growth – it can’t work, it never works.

“But can I actually welcome what he did today, the screeching U-turn on the vast majority of the mini-Budget from the Prime Minister and his predecessor.

“But given he’s done that, and I do welcome it, can we have a guarantee from him today that so long as he has anything to do with it, there’ll never be a return to extremist, crank, experimental think-tank economics?”

Mr Hunt replied: “I’m happy to offer that guarantee if he will agree to explicitly reject the extremist, crank think-tank economics of Scottish independence.”

SNP MP Peter Grant (Glenrothes) said the UK Government’s fiscal updates in the next fortnight will be the “starkest ever confirmation of the awful price of better together”, adding: “Unless you’re a banker on a bumper bonus, which not many of my constituents are.

“They’re looking at higher food prices, higher fuel prices, higher mortgages, reducing wages in real terms, falling benefits in real terms and savage real-terms cuts to public services.”

Mr Grant went on to press the case for independence, with Mr Hunt replying: “What I can’t accept is that it’ll be anything other than madness for every household in Scotland to want to leave the United Kingdom, which would make them much worse off.”