BREXIT will result in a range of projects in Scotland missing out on part of a £1.2 billion funding programme from April – and could cost jobs and lost opportunities, a senior figure has warned. The LEADER programme, part of the EU Structural Funds, invests in local initiatives and enterprises to drive economic and social change in local communities. Between 2014 and this year the Scottish Leader initiative invested more than £63 million, benefitted more than 1000 projects and helped more than 2.25m people. However, 21 rural parts of Scotland will lose funding on economic, environmental and social measures from the Structural Funds. Each programme lasts for six years, and the latest ends in April. While a replacement Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) was proposed as an alternative by the Scottish Government, it has been rejected by Westminster, which has opted for an initial £220m pilot scheme – a UK-wide SPF – in 2021-22, announced last month by Chancellor Rishi Su