The SNP government will quit power if it fails to get its budget through Holyrood, finance secretary John Swinney said today.

The SNP government will quit power if it fails to get its budget through Holyrood, finance secretary John Swinney said today.

The Scottish Government is due to publish its Budget Bill tomorrow.

And Mr Swinney said if that budget was not passed by the Scottish Parliament, the SNP would "have to leave office".

It echoes First Minister Alex Salmond's threat to resign last year if Holyrood did not support the Nationalists' first budget.

Labour leader Iain Gray tonight insisted his party was prepared to see the SNP fall.

"If the SNP's budget puts jobs and services at risk we will not support it," he said.

Earlier Mr Swinney told Radio Clyde: "If the government was unable to get its budget through, we would have to leave office and there would have to be either a new administration formed or an election called.

"And I don't think anyone wants that in the midst of an economic downturn."

Mr Swinney added: "Politically the government has to get its budget through because without getting a budget through the government can not function, we can not support public services, we can not implement a policy programme.

"So quite clearly if the government was unable to get its budget through, we would have to leave office."

But Mr Gray accused the Nationalists of being "rather childish" and added they should be focusing on producing a budget to support jobs and the economy.

He said: "We heard this threat last year from Alex Salmond, but we all knew they had the Tory vote in the bag.

"We are not in the slightest bit worried by these silly threats. The SNP love to grandstand but it is all rather childish.

"It would be interesting to see if the SNP are bluffing or really mean it. Instead of sabre rattling the SNP should be concentrating on producing a budget that will protect Scottish jobs and our economy."

And he said his MSPs would not support a Budget Bill if they believed it would put jobs and services in Scotland at risk.

"I have made clear that John Swinney must change his budget in the face of the economic situation," Mr Gray said.

"This means more money for skills and retraining, and protection for vital public services.

"I am ready and willing to offer Scottish Labour's support for any serious proposal that will boost the economy, but if the SNP's budget puts jobs and services at risk we will not support it."

As a minority government the SNP administration needs support from other political parties to get its budget passed.

Earlier this week the government had talks with the Liberal Democrats.

They are calling for a two pence cut in income tax, but SNP ministers argue this would lead to cuts in other areas, with a spokesman for finance secretary John Swinney saying: "The Lib Dems have got to get real."

But Liberal Democrat finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis claimed: "The SNP's 'business as usual' budget does little to help families through the current economic crisis."

Mr Purvis said: "Even with the re-profiling of some capital projects, the SNP's budget choices have changed by less than 1% to those published in the spending review in 2007. This is a woefully inadequate response to the 'economic storm' engulfing Scotland, as the finance secretary describes the current situation."

He added: "Our door remains open to the SNP as the economy needs a radical response from this budget.

"So far they have been worryingly arrogant and complacent. They must realise that this puts their budget at risk."