David Maddox: Budget latest

Just heard that no amendments to the Scottish budget have been put down tonight, even though this was the last opportunity.

We know that there are individual meetings between SNP Finance Secretary John Swinney (pictured) and Labour, the Tories and Greens scheduled for tomorrow and next week. The speculation is that Labour will get something for extra apprenticeships to get people back to work, assuming there are any jobs left in a few months, and the Conservatives will get some money for town centres.

I hear from a senior Nationalist MSP that the Greens will not get nearly enough of the £1 billion they want for free insulation over a ten year to persuade them to vote for the budget, but they may be bought off for now with some pilot schemes.

However, it looks like only the Liberal Democrats, who are stuck on their 2p income tax cut demand, which would take a year to organise anyway before it can be delivered and would mean a cut of £800 million from the budget, will actually vote against.

With no amendments today it means that John Swinney will have to promise changes in the Autumn revision of the budget to get the others to vote or abstain.