Scottish Government Debate: Achieving a Fair Balance in the UK’s Economy

Murdo Fraser S6M-16667.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-16667 in the name of Kate Forbes (Achieving a Fair Balance in the UK’s Economy), leave out from "deserve" to end and insert "benefit significantly from an abundance of direct investment initiatives established under the former UK Conservative administration, including £3 billion in Levelling Up funding, City Region and Growth Deals, Green Freeports, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the British Business Bank; recognises that the importance and significance of these investments demonstrate the commitment that was held by the former UK Conservative administration to supporting economic growth in Scotland; acknowledges the full responsibility that is held by the Scottish Government for economic outcomes deriving from its devolved powers, and calls on the UK Labour administration to hold to the critical pledges made by its predecessors to level up Scotland’s economic prosperity." Daniel Johnson S6M-16667.1 As an amendment to motion S6W-16667 in the name of Kate Forbes (Achieving a Fair Balance in the UK’s Economy), leave out from “deserve” to end and insert “must gain greater recognition in order to reach their potential, attract investment and deliver growth and opportunity across Scotland; welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to investing in Scotland since July 2024, which includes £200 million to secure the future of Grangemouth, £125 million for Great British Energy, based in Aberdeen, £5 million to support the Scotch Whisky industry, £1.4 billion in important local growth projects of which there is at least £200 million to revive specific Scottish towns, support for Glasgow City Region and North East Scotland Investment Zones and a commitment that Glasgow will be one of the four initial regions to benefit from strategic partnerships with the new National Wealth Fund; notes that these measures have been announced within months of a Labour administration, and, by contrast, the Scottish National Party administration took 16 years to convene an investor panel to make recommendations on how Scotland can attract international capital investment; understands that the investor panel for mobilising international capital to help finance the transition to net zero highlighted significant issues, including that the ‘prevailing perception is that the Scottish Government and wider public sector is not supportive of business’ and that ‘the current investment pipeline is too diffuse. A pipeline needs to be formed of projects that are properly costed, shaped and prioritised. It needs to be a real pipeline, not a wish list’; further understands that addressing these concerns will be key to unlocking the potential of Scotland to attract investment, and calls for the Scottish Government to use all levers available to it, and to work constructively with the UK Government, to achieve the shared ambition of delivering growth and prosperity across Scotland.” Kate Forbes S6M-16667 That the Parliament recognises that Scotland’s many high-growth sectors, which are driven by world class innovation, deserve greater recognition from, and promotion by, the UK Government, which must not unfairly focus investment in the south-east of England, or the so-called golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London, or treat Scotland as an afterthought, especially when announcing or developing policy.