EVEN when the Scottish Tories are agreeing with the SNP, they can't resist a little dig ... but this one got Holyrood laughing.
Because while Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton made a claim that was accurate, she had worded it in such a way that the First Minister felt compelled to offer a correction.
At First Minister's Questions, Hamilton was asking Nicola Sturgeon about the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
She said: “As the First Minister just said, yesterday’s Spring Statement set out funding of £260 million from the UK Government and £85m from the Scottish Government for the Borderlands Growth Deal, delivering a manifesto commitment from the Scottish Conservatives. This deal shows what can be achieved when both of Scotland’s governments work together.
“First Minister, cross-border links with the south of Scotland and the north of England are integral and must be enhanced to improve inclusive growth.
“With that in mind, does she agree that an extension of the Borders railway from Tweedbank to Carlisle would bring transformational change to that area?”
It's great news for the Borders, and working together will help to achieve more.
You might be thinking that's a slightly pitiful contribution from the Scottish Government, though, relative to what the UK is offering.
And that was a point the First Minister had to pick up on.
Sturgeon replied: “I actually want to come on to substantively agree with the sentiments of the question, but I do feel obliged to, I suppose, inject a bit of a clarification into the figures that were used at the start of the question.
“The member said that the UK Government had confirmed it was investing up to £260m in the Borderlands Deal, compared to the £85m from the Scottish Government.
“That is true, but I think it’s important to point out that of the UK Government’s £260m, only £65m of that is for the Scottish side, the rest of that is for England."
Cue laughter from behind the First Minister.
Still, it is of course a benefit to the south of Scotland that money was being spent the other side of the Border, and Sturgeon made that clear, adding: "But, nevertheless, by the very nature of border lands, it is important that the investment is on both sides.”
So, welcome news, but let's keep the facts in perspective...
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