The SNP's budget was tonight passed after it won the backing of MSPs at Holyrood.

The SNP's budget was tonight passed after it won the backing of MSPs at Holyrood.

The nationalist administration's first budget was voted through by 64 votes to one against with 60 abstentions after the Nationalists won the support of the Tories and independent Margo MacDonald.

The result removes the prospect of a snap election with First Minister Alex Salmond having previously threatened to quit and go to the country if it was not passed.

Finance secretary John Swinney opened the crunch debate by pulling two rabbits out of the hat - a promise of bigger than planned business rate cuts to woo the Tories, and an extra £4 million in bus grants to entice the Greens.

He told Holyrood: "Any member voting against this budget is sending a message to their constituents that they want Scottish taxpayers burdened with a record tax increase with the pain felt by tens of thousands of Scotland's most vulnerable pensioners.

Labour's Iain Gray branded First Minister Alex Salmond's threats to quit if the budget was refused as an "unedifying pantomime" and "bravado" and said that deals had already been done to secure the budget's approval.

The Tories Derek Brownlee said: "Today is historic - not because of what they (the SNP) have done, but because it marks the final humiliation of the Scottish Labour Party."

For the Lib Dems, Tavish Scott called the budget a "Con-Nat" budget.

And he described Mr Salmond's threat to resign if the budget was not passed as being "a landmark strop".

Mr Swinney later said that the amendment from the Labour party posed the government "no difficulties whatsoever" and encouraged his SNP colleagues to back it.

"In the spirit of consensus and in the spirit of Mr Kerr's remarks to me just a moment ago, that this was my opportunity to raise myself above party advantage, I dutifully raise myself up to my full six feet and courageously invite the Labour Party to reciprocate my kind desire and wish to support their amendment - as long as they support my budget at stage 3," he said.

He said it was "absurd" for Labour to put forward amendments to the budget in the Finance Committee which affect 1% of its spending and failing in this, vote against the remaining 99% in a "hissy fit".