Would you buy a used car from Anas Sarwar? After his “read my lips, no austerity under Labour” pledge, Sarwar has rendered himself one of the most untrustworthy politicians in Holyrood.

Those words - uttered ahead of the recent General Election - will haunt the Scottish Labour leader for as long as he remains in politics.

This week, as we languish in the midst of cut after cut with more cuts to come, First Minister John Swinney came under questioning about whether he would protect Scotland’s universal benefits, such as free university tuition and free prescriptions.

To his credit, Swinney made clear any such cuts would not be happening. He warned that difficult spending choices would have to be made, but insisted Scotland’s unique ‘social contract’ was safe.

And it is a unique social contract. Some of us pay more tax in Scotland, but those taxes fund free tuition and prescriptions, as well as wider access to concessionary travel and childcare.

Those earning more than £28,850 in Scotland - which is marginally above median earnings - pay more income tax than elsewhere in Britain.

Swinney rightly came under questioning after it was reported that the Scottish Government’s director general for health and social care, Caroline Lamb, had told civil servants universal benefits could be facing cuts, as the SNP considers how to cope with the crisis in public spending.

It appears that either the reports or Lamb were wrong, given Swinney’s full-throated response when asked if universal benefits were “on the table”. He replied: “No, they’re........

© Herald Scotland