BLAIR FAILS TO CRITICISE LABOUR MAYOR'S ANTI-SCOTS OUTBURST

CALL FOR LONDON SCOTTISH TO BOYCOTT LIVINGSTONE

Speaking after challenging the Prime Minister at Question Time today (Wednesday) to criticise an anti-Scottish outburst by London Mayor Ken Livingstone the SNP MP Mike Weir said the Prime Minister's answer exposed how he would rather protect his colleague and was equally ignorant of the true financial position where Scottish oil taxes subsidise London.

In response the SNP have published research detailing the showing that in the last 10 years alone, the UK capital has been awarded a jaw-dropping £26 billion for a range of projects. Also the recent tax increases on North Sea oil mean that Scotland is in relative surplus compared to the UK by some £4 billion.

Yesterday the London Mayor Ken Livingstone was reported saying:

"We need Crossrail to keep London's Economy ticking over so that we can continue to pay for the Scottish to live the lifestyle to which they are accustomed."

At PMQ's today Mr Weir asked:

"The Prime Minister may have seen the remarks by his colleague, the Labour Mayor of London, that Crossrail is necessary for Scotland "to live the lifestyle to which they are accustomed".

"Isn't this something of a brass neck considering this year £12 billion of Scottish oil revenues are enabling the Prime Minister's government to live in the style to which they have become accustomed."

Commenting on the Prime Minister's reply Mr Weir said:

"Tony Blair utterly failed to comment on Ken Livingstone's remarks. Does he agree with him or trying to avoid miring himself yet further in an internal Labour split?

"Nevertheless his response was true to type as he resorted to scaremongering - just like his recently appointed Scottish Secretary is well known for wanting to 'engender fear' in the Scottish people.

"However the facts show otherwise in what they would like to be a poorly informed debate. With billions of Scottish oil revenues being raised to fill his Government's black hole and pay for the likes of Crossrail both the Prime Minister and Ken Livingstone are the ones who should be apologising."

In a further development to the issue SNP Leader Alex Salmond MP called on the London Scottish to boycott Ken Livingstone at the ballot box.

He said:

"Ken Livingstone has clearly acted like a clown with his anti-Scottish attitudes. Since there are a large number of Scots ex-pats in London I would call on them to withdraw their support in future elections.

"He is also completely wrong. It is ironic he made such uninformed remarks on the day a Bill had been introduced in the House of Commons to bring home to Scotland the billions in oil revenue going south.

"When you include all Scotland's resources, we subsidises the rest of the UK by £3000 a year for the average Scottish family. This is money that could make a big difference in Scotland, but at the moment it is lost to the London Treasury."