Scottish ministers plan £500m of cuts with budget at ‘absolute limits’

John Swinney says finances under enormous strain', while tenants' groups question reach of rent freeze

Scotland's acting finance minister, John Swinney, has announced plans for 500m of spending cuts as public sector pay disputes, provision for displaced Ukrainians, as well as Tuesday's pledges on cost of living support place enormous strain" on government finances.

Underlining that Scotland's budget was at the absolute limits of affordability" and already worth 1.7bn less than when it was published in December, as a result of inflation, he told MSPs: Every penny more on one policy is a penny less on another policy."