Delayed Scottish Budget publication date revealed, due to 'incredibly unhelpful' UK Autumn Statement

Finance Secretary Shona Robison proposed the date in a letter to Holyrood’s finance and public administration committee. The Scottish Budget is usually published in December, meaning negotiations will have to take place within a much tighter timescale.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed her Autumn Statement will be delivered on November 26, almost a month later than last year.

She is widely expected to have to hike taxes to balance the books, with the relatively late Budget date giving her time to lay the groundwork for potential changes.

The Scottish Budget was published on December 4 last year. It passed its final stage in Holyrood in February.

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In her letter, Ms Robison said: “Following the UK Autumn Statement, the Scottish Government will require time to assess its implications and finalise our fiscal position.

“While I considered a December publication date, existing arrangements with the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) would leave the Scottish Government with only four working days to decide how to respond to any tax or social security policy changes announced by the UK Government on 26 November.

“Taking all of this into account, I am minded to propose Thursday, 15 January 2026 as the publication date for the Scottish Budget and associated documents. I welcome the committee’s view on this.

“I fully recognise the committee’s need for adequate time to scrutinise the Budget and associated materials. I have therefore asked my officials to liaise with the committee clerks to explore the implications for the Budget Bill timetable in more detail and to ensure that parliamentary processes are supported as effectively as possible.”

Ms Robison was previously sharply critical of the timing of the Autumn Statement. “This delay by the UK government makes it incredibly difficult for the Scottish Government to undertake the detailed financial planning needed to bring forward our own budget in the usual timescale,” she said earlier this month.

“Given the impact of this decision for Scotland, it is deeply disappointing that the Treasury failed to make the Scottish Government aware in advance. This is not the positive working relationship we were promised by the Prime Minister and Chancellor.

“Unless the UK government reconsiders this decision, it is highly unlikely that the Scottish Government will be able to bring forward our Budget and spending review before Christmas.

“Given the short period available before Parliament dissolves in March, it is incredibly unhelpful that the initial parliamentary scrutiny will likely be delayed into January. It could not be clearer that Scotland is little more than an afterthought for the UK government.”

While January 15 would be an unusually late Budget, it would not be the latest Holyrood has seen.

In 2020, the Budget was published in early February. Infamously, Derek Mackay, who was then finance secretary, was forced to resign the night before over messages he had sent to a 16-year-old boy.