A series of papers setting out the case for Scottish independence could be axed in the wake of the SNP’s devastating general election defeat.
Shona Robison admitted last night “there is a decision to be made” on whether any more editions in the Building A New Scotland series will be published.
Senior Nationalists have been forced to rethink their independence strategy after the party was reduced to just nine MPs in July.
The election was supposed to act as a “de facto” referendum in which the Scottish Government would demand an IndyRef2 if the SNP won a majority of seats north of the Border.
Nicola Sturgeon launched the Building A New Scotland series in June 2022 as part of a broader push to secure a second referendum. But public interest in the series has slumped and no new papers have been published since April this year.
Asked about spending on the publications, Robison told reporters in the Scottish Parliament: “I think there’s a decision to be made, yeah, about the future of the papers.
“But what we are talking about is civil service time, we’re not talking about programme spend. So civil servants working on advance papers would also be working on other stuff within the External Affairs portfolio.
“And I don’t think anyone is talking about sacking civil servants. It’s not about a cost reduction of those civil servants. That’s very different from programme spend.”
Robison added: “I think there is a decision to be made about the future ones (papers).”
Angus Robertson, the Constitution Secretary, has previously suggested the series would continue.
In a written question from a Tory MSP, the Scottish Government was asked last month if “any civil servants are still working on additional publications as part of the Building a New Scotland series, in light of a new First Minister being sworn in May, and, if so, whether it can provide details of any ongoing work and associated costs”.
In a written answer, Robertson said: “Yes. The First Minister will set out his priorities in the new Parliamentary term and these plans will be announced in due course.”
The Record asked the Scottish Government for comment.
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