The Glenrothes By-election 2008

'Labour called on Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to find extra funds, warning patients could suffer from real-term cuts. Health spokeswoman Margaret Curran warned the SNP deputy leader could become known as the minister for health cuts. However, the attack on inflation could backfire on Labour. The same problem of rising bills for energy and wage pressure affects the entire public sector, and Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling faces the challenge of responding to that pressure in his autumn financial statement.' Douglas Fraser, Scottish Political Editor in the Herald, 25 th August 2008.

Labour and SNP clash over health spending and energy

By Douglas Fraser, Scottish Political Editor in the Herald 25 th August 2008

Labour and the SNP traded attacks over health spending and energy costs yesterday, in exchanges that show the political temperature rising ahead of a vital by-election in Glenrothes.

Labour yesterday agreed to choose its candidate next Monday, while the party tackled the SNP administration over the impact of inflation in eroding health service budgets and announced it is launching a campaign to safeguard the NHS.

It was claimed health boards would lose £85m due to the impact of inflation well above the forecast 2.5%. That comes on top of a requirement on health boards to find 2% annual efficiency savings, which NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said last month would require managers to find £42m they could take out of last year's budget.

Labour called on Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to find extra funds, warning patients could suffer from real-term cuts. Health spokeswoman Margaret Curran warned the SNP deputy leader could become known as the minister for health cuts.

However, the attack on inflation could backfire on Labour. The same problem of rising bills for energy and wage pressure affects the entire public sector, and Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling faces the challenge of responding to that pressure in his autumn financial statement.

The SNP responded the health budget attack was "absurd and inaccurate". A spokesman said: "Despite the tightest funding settlement since devolution, imposed on Scotland by Margaret Curran's Labour colleagues at Westminster, the Scottish Government increased the budget for our NHS above the projected inflation rate. And money for cutting waiting times and other priorities is extra to the health board allocations."

In another line of Labour attack, former Health Minister Andy Kerr warned of the impact of the SNP's decision to allocate a lower increase in health spending than that in England, and challenged the administration to quit if it fails to meet its waiting time targets. He was speaking at the fourth Scottish Labour leadership hustings, taking place in Dunfermline yesterday.

The SNP chose rising fuel costs to target Labour. Its Westminster enterprise spokesman, Stewart Hosie, highlighted poll evidence showing three-quarters of Scots and two-thirds of people throughout Britain want to see energy companies facing a windfall tax, to help offset the cost to customers.

Labour's Glenrothes constituency party decided yesterday on a timetable for selecting a candidate to replace John MacDougall, the Labour MP who died earlier this month. The National Executive Committee will decide a shortlist on Thursday or Friday this week, and the constituency party will make its choice next Monday.