SNP health secretary Neil Gray has called on Labour to back his party’s calls to devolve National Insurance (NI) to Holyrood.

Mr Gray’s demand comes in the wake of the Labour UK government’s £25 billion hike in employers’ NI contributions in October’s Budget, amid concerns on the cost to public-sector employers.

While the NHS is exempt, GP practices, councils and organisations delivering outsourced social care are not, leading the Scottish government to estimate it could put a £500m dent in the extra £1.5bn this year, and £3.4bn in the next that chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered to Scotland’s coffers in her Budget.