THE SNP has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to boost NHS spending by £16 billion, which would deliver an extra £1.6bn to the Scottish budget.

The party’s Westminster health spokesman Sean Logan argues the Barnett consequentials from such a boost would be ploughed into the Scottish NHS.

The Scottish government faces a spending gap of £1bn this year growing to £1.9bn by 2027-28, but has so far favoured swingeing cuts to services to close it rather than implement STUC plans to use devolved tax powers to net an extra £3.7bn a year.

Mr Logan said: “The UK government has chronically underfunded the NHS for more than a decade.

“There is no escaping the fact that the NHS needs more money.”

The Prime Minister has said the NHS will get no more money without “reform,” though healthcare spending per head in Britain is much lower than in France (where it is 26 per cent higher) and Germany (where it is 55 per cent higher).

The Treasury was contacted for comment.