Does John Swinney’s fury at ‘menacing’ Alister Jack mean Scottish and UK governments will keep squabbling?

Mr Jack has managed to once again get under the skin of SNP ministers, this time over nuclear power. The SNP does not support nuclear power, including small modular reactors, and will essentially veto any applications for facilities to be built in Scotland through devolved planning regulations. Despite its low carbon footprint and high energy production, nuclear power is extremely costly and takes decades to develop.

In his first clash with the UK government as First Minister, Mr Swinney reacted with fury at the Scottish Secretary suggesting that a new nuclear facility could be built north of the Border after 2026. It is clear the intention of Mr Jack was to cause mischief – that he believes the SNP will be out the door at the next Holyrood election and Labour, and the Tories, will support the technology.

This is the first real test for Mr Swinney being wound up by the UK government and might give an indication of what we can expect in the months leading up to the general election. If Mr Swinney is biting his tongue and refraining from flipping his lid following attacks by his Holyrood opponents, perhaps we can expect him to take it out on the Scottish Secretary.

Mr Swinney told MSPs the nuclear move was “illustrative of the damaging behaviour, the menacing behaviour, of the Secretary of State for Scotland”.

But Mr Jack’s days of irritating SNP ministers are numbered – he is stepping down at the election and the Conservative government looks certain to be replaced by Labour. So can we expect a healthier relationship between Mr Swinney and Sir Keir Starmer’s incoming government? So far, that prospect looks bleak.

Mr Swinney took aim at Labour’s top man in Holyrood, Anas Sarwar, who tried to get the FM to bite on criticism and “passing the buck” over NHS funding.

The FM appears unimpressed with Labour’s pitch for change, accusing the government in waiting of sitting in the middle of the road and making no promises to end austerity. That points to more hostility between Scotland’s two governments continuing.

Mr Swinney accused the Scottish Labour leader of having “deserted” an initial support of increasing tax on higher earners, which the First Minister said was crucial to spending more on the NHS. He also took a dig at Labour’s opposition to “lifting the cap on bankers’ bonuses”.

Mr Swinney said he had not heard Labour “setting out an uplift in public expenditure as a consequence of 14 years of austerity”.

The First Minister has made clear he will find Labour continuing the Conservatives’ austerity agenda as unacceptable and it is clear he will vent that frustration if that is the case. But if Labour does boost public spending, what will the SNP’s excuse be for not working better together with the UK government?