Moray MP Douglas Ross has slammed the SNP-Green Government for scrapping a £20 million fund earmarked to promote rural entrepreneurship.
Douglas has hit out after it emerged the millions set out last year for the rural entrepreneur fund have been ditched as part of the recent Spending Review.
The £20 million is the same sum that that has been set aside by the nationalist coalition for preparations for another divisive independence referendum next year.
Douglas says the funding cut is another hammer blow for rural and remote communities in Moray and accused SNP-Green Ministers of showing “complete contempt” for rural areas.
He says this money should have been used to attract new investment and opportunities for Moray as they rebuild from the pandemic, yet they have now been cast aside for the nationalists number one obsession of independence.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This is a hammer blow for our rural communities in Moray.
"This £20 million fund was talked up by the SNP-Green Government in their Programme for Government, but now they have decided to drop it.
"Local SNP representatives here in Moray have to say if they are happy this important fund has been scrapped while the prioritise the same amount of money for another independence referendum.
“This latest move shows the utter contempt the SNP have for rural areas, which has been consistently shown time and time again.
“This is just the latest example but what makes it all the more galling is that the amount of money that had been earmarked for the rural entrepreneur fund is the exact same as the amount that the nationalist coalition have committed for another divisive independence referendum next year.
“Their obsession with breaking up our United Kingdom will always take priority. That money in the rural entrepreneur fund could have delivered a serious boost here in Moray.
“Instead, the SNP-Green coalition have shown their true colours and let Moray’s rural communities and businesses down once again.
“I hope Richard Lochhead will call this out and urge his government to reverse this cut. He has to show people in Moray he will stand up to the SNP government when they take decisions that are clearly not in the interest of rural areas across Moray.
“If he doesn’t it will show the SNP are simply not interested in the needs of our rural areas, especially when they can divert crucial funding onto trying to divide our communities just as they did in 2014.”