THE SNP Scottish government will have the backing of the Greens and Liberal Democrats in next week’s crunch Budget vote, the parties confirmed today.

Deals to deliver the requisite votes have been struck after weeks of negotiations in which they have managed to wrest £16.7 million in additional spending from SNP Finance Secretary Shona Robison’s £63.4-billion Budget.

The windfall will be used to deliver on Green demands to extend free school meals in the first three years of secondary school to pupils from families eligible for the Scottish Child Payment, and pilot a £2 regional cap on bus fares, as well as Lib Dem calls for more investment in drugs services and hospices.

The deal delivers a majority, coming after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s December announcement that his MSPs will abstain on the Holyrood vote.

Green finance spokesman Ross Greer said: “The job of the Scottish Greens is to lift kids out of poverty and tackle the climate emergency, not to play games with other parties.

“We could have taken the opportunity to give the SNP a bloody nose — it wouldn’t have fed a single child, it wouldn’t have reduced emissions, it wouldn’t have protected anything in our natural environment, it would have created no jobs whatsoever.”

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “This isn’t propping up a failing administration, this parliament is clearly now going to run its course until 2026.

“I think it’s my role — and that of my party and other parties — to make the best of what we’ve got.”

Praising their “positive and constructive” engagement, Ms Robison said: “We are determined to deliver on the issues that matter most to the people of Scotland, that is why this Budget invests in public services and in eradicating child poverty, acts in the face of the climate emergency, and supports jobs.

“The First Minister was clear that we would bring forward a Budget by Scotland, for Scotland, and the negotiations we have taken forward have been in that spirit.

“These additional initiatives demonstrate the value of a progressive approach and dialogue.

“Through seeking compromise I believe we are delivering a Budget that will strengthen services and support our communities.”