THE response to the coronavirus pandemic has shown the strength of the union is “undeniable”, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has claimed.

Steve Barclay said since the beginning of the outbreak, the Scottish Government has been given billions in support from the UK Government in Barnett consequentials, based on spending in other parts of Britain.

Scotland has also benefited from the Job Retention Scheme, which allowed firms to furlough 930,000 staff members with 80% of their wages being covered by Whitehall.

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak ruled out extending the furlough scheme and Scotland's cultural and creative industries have said the move helped reduce the “scarring” on their industries but that without ongoing support they will be “decimated”.

READ MORE: Scotland's creative industry faces ‘cliff edge’ as furlough ends

According to Barclay, the support given to Scotland would not be possible without the Union.

Writing in the Scottish Mail on Sunday, Barclay said: “If we hadn’t been able to draw upon the financial backing of the entire UK economy, it doesn’t bear thinking about what would have happened to the people behind these businesses.

“The extra shops that would have been left empty, and the jobs that would have been lost.”

He added: “While, as with families, we might disagree at times, what we have achieved since March – protecting jobs and saving businesses – makes the strength of the union undeniable.”

READ MORE: Rishi Sunak urged to ‘cut bluster and cough up' over furlough scheme

The minister claimed Holyrood was “one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world”, adding that “Scotland still benefits from being part of one of the most successful countries in the world, the UK”.

He continued: “Instead of making arguments about powers and process, my colleagues and I are focused on delivery.”

Barclay has been among a raft of UK ministers to visit north of the border in recent months, including the Prime Minister and Chancellor, as Downing Street changes its strategy against independence.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson to make third trip to Scotland as Number 10 changes strategy

Recent polls have shown rising support for independence, including one key poll which showed 55% back a Yes vote – a reversal of the 2014 referendum result.

In response to the boosted numbers, Johnson has told his Cabinet ministers to be more visible in Scotland and he now plans a “regular roll call” of ministerial trips north of the Border, the Press and Journal reported.

During a visit to Edinburgh in July, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said that a further £1.9 billion in funding had been given to the Scottish Government to see out the year and fund initiatives to tackle the effects of Covid-19, in lieu of granting more fiscal flexibility for Scotland.

However, Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and other Scottish ministers have repeatedly pushed for the flexibility to borrow more and to be able to move capital underspend over to day-to-day revenue spending.

Forbes spoke out after the latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) statistics showed spending amounted to £15.1 billion more than ministers received in revenues.

Westminster has repeatedly rejected the idea.

READ MORE: Kate Forbes says GERS figures show Scotland in UK is 'financially unsustainable'

There have been 65,700 excess deaths in the UK from coronavirus and Nicola Sturgeon's approach to the pandemic has beat Boris Johnson's in various opinion polls.

A survey earlier this month put the First Minister’s net approval rating at +50 while the Prime Minister lagged behind at -50. Since last year, it marked a boost of 45 points for Sturgeon and a decrease of 16 for the Tory leader.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon's approval rating soars in new YouGov survey