THE Treasury will today publish figures which Liberal Democrat ministers claim proves Nicola Sturgeon's anti-austerity call would increase the UK's debts.
The calculations follow the First Minister's demand last month for an extra £180 billion of public spending.
The SNP leader said that the move would help the economy and could be done while cutting the UK's debts.
But ministers said that the Treasury figures will show that that claim was factually incorrect and that debt as a share of GDP would be higher, albeit only slightly, by 2020 than it is now.
Danny Alexander said that the figures showed that the economic recovery would not be "safe" in the SNP's hands.
The nationalists have hit out at the pro-Union parties at Westminster accusing them of being in thrall to austerity.
Ms Sturgeon has said that her plan, for a 0.5 per cent increase in departmental spending, would "free up resources to protect our public services, to invest in the kind of infrastructure and skills and innovation that will grow the economy faster."
Setting out her proposals in a speech in London that the SNP believe that debt should be cut as a percentage of GDP, but more gradually than either Labour or the Tories propose.
She said that limited real terms growth in departmental spending "would reduce debt as a share of GDP in every year from 2016-17.
"But it would also permit - compared to current UK government plans - a further £180bn of investment across the UK over the next four years."
The figures will say that debt as a share of GDP would rise from 81.9 per cent to 82.2 per cent in 2017/18.
The calculations will also show that debt as a share of GDP at the end of the next parliament would stand at 81.4 per cent, slightly higher than the level at the start of the parliament, 81.1 per cent.
Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Mr Alexander said: "Once again, the SNP have been caught out on the economy.
"Their economic plans for a separate Scotland in the run up to the referendum were simply not credible - the recent crash in oil prices which would have blown a massive black hole in Scotland's finances.
"Now we see that the SNP would blow a huge hole in Britain's finances too.
"Again and again the SNP have taken their eye off the ball.
"These figures show that the economic recovery would not be safe in nationalist hands.'
Ms Sturgeon explicitly appeal to wavering Labour voters as she set out her call last month, saying: "A Labour government that looked to the SNP for support would have to moderate its position.
"That would be popular not just with SNP supporters but I'm sure a lot of traditional Labour supporters in Scotland and across the rest of the UK as well."
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