FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has accused Highland MP Danny Alexander of putting politics before safety in the escalating row over the A9 average-speed cameras scheme.
The SNP leader’s remarks prompted senior UK Government figures to immediately challenge him to a debate on the controversial issue in front of a live audience in the north.
Mr Alexander has been an outspoken critic of the A9 project but has come under fire from a leading motoring organisation and a fellow Highland politician who has accused him of putting “votes before lives”.
Days after the battle to put the brakes on proposals to instal 100 average-speed cameras on a 138-mile stretch of the trunk road seemed to be in tatters, he vowed the fight was not over and claimed the devices would increase driver frustration.
But speaking exclusively to the Press and Journal, Mr Salmond branded some of the MP’s comments on the issue “foolish”.
The first minister said: “What you have to try and separate is politics from genuine concern.
“Danny Alexander has been hugely remiss on the A9.
“I would advise Mr Alexander to dwell less on the politics and more on the safety. This is about trying to make the road as safe as possible.
“He has made lots of public statements – some of them very foolish.”
Mr Salmond said he led the only government in history to commit to dualling the notorious road and accused Mr Alexander of “starving” the Scottish Government of capital funding for major projects.
He added: “Thanks to the work of (Finance Secretary) John Swinney and others in the Scottish Government we’ve found ways to carry forward capital projects and have been able to commit to dualling the A9.
“So every time I hear Danny Alexander complain about the state of the A9, what comes to mind is, what was he doing in the eight years where Liberal Democrat ministers refused to commit to dualling? Nothing whatsoever.”
Mr Alexander, who is chief secretary to the Treasury in the coalition administration at Westminster, was criticised by UK safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), which said it was “disappointing” he was not prepared to give the cameras scheme a “fair chance”.
Fellow north politician, SNP MSP Dave Thompson, accused him of “putting votes before lives”.
But Mr Alexander said: “If the first minister disagrees with me so strongly then he can accept my challenge to a face-to-face debate in the Highlands.
“As well as addressing independence, we can discuss this issue in front of an audience of Highlanders who have backed my campaign by the thousand.
“The Scottish Council for Development and Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses, both members of the A9 Safety Group, have voiced concerns about the project.”
He accused the SNP of choosing “to starve the Highlands of investment” and said the Scottish Government’s capital budget had increased by £1.4billion during his time in the Treasury.