SNP Admits Budget Error Omitted Full Commitment to Dual the A96

The Scottish Government has admitted that its budget documents failed to include a full commitment to dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, following criticism in Holyrood and growing backlash from MSPs representing the north of Scotland.

The error emerged just 24 hours after Finance Secretary Shona Robison told Parliament that the government would only dual “key parts” of the route, prompting concern that a long-standing pledge to fully dual the road had been quietly scaled back.

Officials were sent scrambling on Wednesday morning to identify what had gone wrong. It later emerged that the final version of the infrastructure plans had mistakenly removed a bullet point that went further than commitments to upgrade the Inverness–Nairn section alone.

Addressing MSPs, Ms Robison acknowledged the omission, blaming a “production error” in the published documents. She said the full commitment to the “A96 corridor” had been included in a draft version approved by ministers prior to publication.

The mistake prompted sharp criticism from senior MSPs. Fergus Ewing, the SNP MSP for Inverness and Nairn, described the episode as a “collection of schoolboy howlers” and called for apologies.

He said: “Not least to the readers of The Press and Journal who, quite rightly, as the voice of the north, reported that the government is no longer committed to the A96.”

Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross also criticised the government, calling the error a “monumental failure”.

“This is apparently a pledge and a commitment they have held for a decade and a half, and we’re supposed to believe none of them noticed,” he told Parliament.

“Not a single person realised that dualling the A96 had been omitted from the budget document. But what is worse is the wording used by the cabinet secretary in the budget statement itself – a statement she prepared and read out.”

Mr Ross questioned how no minister, adviser or MSP had challenged the change in language before it was delivered.

“Are we really meant to believe that not a single person said, ‘hold on, cabinet secretary, you are changing our pledge to dual the whole road by saying you will only dual key parts of it’?”

He added: “They have all failed. They have let down the north-east. Had it not been for the front page of The Press and Journal today, we might still be in the dark.”

In her original budget statement on Tuesday, Ms Robison had reiterated commitments to major trunk road projects, stating: “This government is committed to the completion of the A9 by 2035,” before adding: “And we will take forward dualling of key sections of the A96.”

Facing renewed scrutiny the following day, the finance secretary clarified the government’s position.

“It should have also listed the entire A96 corridor because that is our commitment,” she said. “That was what ministers agreed when the draft document was sent for formal approval.

“It appears to have been a production error in the final document.”

Ms Robison confirmed that the infrastructure document has since been corrected online and reiterated that the SNP remains committed to the A96 project, including delivery of the Elgin bypass.