Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 July 2026
3 contributions
Livestock
I was delighted to meet key farming stakeholders at the Royal Highland Show, where we discussed the structural pressures facing the livestock industry in Scotland. This Government absolutely recognise that food security is national security, and while there has been a decline in herd sizes, we have …
It is not a question of using devolution as a shield; it is a question of proper accountability. Farming is a devolved matter, and the SNP Scottish Government have not delivered for Scotland’s farmers. Take the Scottish Government’s future farming investment scheme: in some areas, rejection rates fo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 July 2026
4 contributions
Young People
Too many young people are spending their early years of adulthood out of work or education. The youth guarantee is our commitment to ensuring that every young person across Great Britain can access support in order to earn or learn. Last month we launched the youth jobs grant, which will provide a £…
There is simply no excuse for this kind of senseless violence and antisocial behaviour, and I am very saddened to hear about the impact that it has had on my hon. Friend’s constituents. I agree that the vast majority of young people want to improve their lives and contribute to their communities. Th…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 July 2026
2 contributions
Pride in Place
Our Pride in Place programme is supporting local people to shape the future of their areas. We are investing up to £480 million in 24 Scottish neighbourhoods over 10 years, including Springburn and Sighthill in north-east Glasgow. Alongside this, our Pride in Place programme impact fund is investing…
I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and I am absolutely delighted that somebody of Jim Hope’s stature has been appointed to lead Pride in Place investment in north-east Glasgow. It is a great example of those who know their communities best being empowered to lead, and I will follow the progress…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 June 2026
2 contributions
Glasgow City Region Economy
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) on securing this vital debate, and on everything he does to represent one of the greatest parts of one of the world’s finest cities. Whether through t…
My hon. Friend will know that that is felt right across the city region, and across other city regions in Scotland. The Scottish Government seem simply addicted to the centralisation of and hoarding of power. We have made an argument to the people of Scotland that has been incredibly well-received: …
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Cancer Research
Tragically, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in Scotland. I want Scots to benefit from the very best research. The National Institute for Health and Care Research works in partnership with the Scottish Government to support and enhance health and social care research across the UK, …
I commend my hon. Friend for his ongoing and dogged advocacy for this cause. As he will know, the UK Government are committed to ensuring a partnership approach between the health services of Scotland and the rest of the UK, and we are focused on ensuring that higher education, and other forms of in…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
5 contributions
Pride in Place: Regeneration
Through our ambitious Pride in Place programme, we are empowering local people to shape the future of their neighbourhoods. The Pride in Place impact fund is investing £12 million across Scotland over two years, including £1.5 million in North Ayrshire. We will invest up to £480 million in 24 Scotti…
Huge congratulations to my hon. Friend and her constituents. These three towns have tremendous untapped potential that has been long neglected and underutilised. Our coastal towns are a huge part of our identity on these islands, and I look forward to working with her to champion the pride that peop…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
25 February 2026
4 contributions
Hospitality Sector
Scotland’s hospitality businesses, at the heart of our high streets and communities, are the engines of Scotland’s economy. The UK Government have helped businesses across the country by stabilising public finances, focusing on driving economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets. In S…
Our changes to employer national insurance were part of raising the revenue needed for the changes in public services from which his constituents and mine will benefit due to the record settlement for the Scottish Government. I will just say to the hon. Gentleman, however, that protestations of feal…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
25 February 2026
3 contributions
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Scottish Veterans
I thank the hon. Member for his consistent and thoughtful engagement on the Bill. The Government are committed to delivering truth and accountability for those who were bereaved or seriously injured during the troubles, which is why we introduced the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill in October. The pr…
I would be delighted to meet the Scottish Veterans Commissioner but, as the hon. Gentleman will appreciate, the Northern Ireland Office leads on such matters. We should put on the record that we owe a huge debt to the quarter of a million Northern Ireland veterans who served with honour to bring abo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Tertiary Education
First, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s very passionate advocacy for higher education in Scotland. He will be well aware that the Scottish Government have received an additional £11 billion since the general election, money that could have been spent on Scotland’s world-class universities and colle…
I agree with my hon. Friend that Scotland’s young people have been appallingly let down, which is why it is time for a new direction. I would, of course, be delighted to meet him and representatives of Heriot-Watt to discuss Scotland’s desperate need for a new direction.
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
2 contributions
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
I would like to begin by taking the opportunity to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for securing this debate. I thank him, the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) and my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) for the very interesting …
I am always delighted to commit to oomph and would be delighted to meet all relevant MPs from the Borderlands growth deal, to which I know the right hon. Member is very committed. I am following it closely.
Our Brand Scotland effort promotes Scotland’s exports, culture and global reputation. We fun…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
26 November 2025
3 contributions
Pride in Place Programme
Through the Pride in Place programme, we are investing almost £500 million to revitalise communities across Scotland. As part of that, the Scotland Office has recently completed the collection of evidence from MPs, MSPs, local authorities and community groups to inform the selection of 14 new neighb…
I can confirm to my hon. Friend that she will not have long to wait. It is in all our interests to get things coming down the chimney as soon as possible.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
26 November 2025
3 contributions
Asylum and Returns Policies
Immigration is a reserved issue and the Home Secretary set out last week an asylum policy that will work for all parts of the United Kingdom. It contains the most sweeping asylum reforms in modern times, commensurate to the scale of the issues before us. These reforms will restore control, contribut…
What Scottish Labour supports, like the rest of the Labour party, is a system that is both humane and restores control, and that is in the best interest of communities and those seeking asylum and to migrate. We are proud to support the policy, and we know that the rest of the country wants a system…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
26 November 2025
5 contributions
Economic Growth
Over the last year, this Government have taken action to fix the foundations of our economy, to put the public finances on a sustainable path and support growth. Despite the UK economy being forecast to be the second fastest growing G7 economy this year, and despite private companies such as Iberdro…
The SNP Government are clearly not doing what is required to drive growth in Scotland, but I say to the hon. Member that we are dealing with the legacy of 14 years of Conservative economic mismanagement, including their catastrophic policy of austerity, their mismanagement of the pandemic, and a fai…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
22 October 2025
6 contributions
Devolution in Scotland
I welcome today’s debate on devolution. At its heart, it is really a discussion of how we deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That objective has long animated the public service of my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) and the hon. Member for Caithness, Suthe…
Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope Members across this House will always find us accessible to them and willing to make their constituents’ case across Government.
My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West said she felt that we should spend less time in the Lobby. I underscore that I am delig…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
22 October 2025
3 contributions
Cost of Living
This Government are working tirelessly to reduce the cost of living in Scotland. We have introduced a national living wage, delivered a generational upgrade to workers’ rights and helped the Bank of England to cut interest rates five times, putting money into people’s pockets across Scotland. Furthe…
A child poverty strategy is on the way and will be released in due course. I can underscore our commitment to fighting child poverty with every breath we have. That is what Labour Governments have always done, and it is what this Labour Government will do, too.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
22 October 2025
5 contributions
Pride in Place Programme: Regeneration
The Scotland Office is backing Scotland’s communities with our £292 million pride in place investment. The plan will support grassroots movements that restore local people’s power, boost national pride and help people get on in life. It will revitalise our high streets, create jobs and improve safet…
I commend my hon. Friend on his ambition for his seat and his sterling advocacy for it. He is right that this funding will help revitalise our high streets, create jobs and improve safety and security in Scotland. He is also right that the SNP is desperately out of touch with its squabbling over ind…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
22 October 2025
7 contributions
Inheritance Tax Relief: Agriculture Sector
This Government appreciate the role of farmers and everyone involved in our agricultural sector, and I have been delighted to meet representatives of the National Farmers Union of Scotland and other stakeholders on numerous occasions. On each, I have reiterated that the Government want to strike a f…
As I mentioned, we are in regular dialogue with farming stakeholders and we regularly consider the evidence that is presented to us. I would stress that, while we will always give evidence due consideration—indeed, the Prime Minister said that from this very Dispatch Box last week at Prime Minister’…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
1 September 2025
Lisbon Maru Memorial
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan) on securing this debate on the potential merits of Government support for a memorial to the Lisbon Maru. In particular, I congratulate her on the very moving and evocative way in which she told the story of this…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
9 July 2025
6 contributions
Supporting Scottish Agriculture
Scotland cultivates the very best produce in the world, and we are absolutely committed to supporting Scotland’s agricultural sector and, indeed, all those who live and work in our rural communities. I was very pleased that the Scottish Government’s Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity joined m…
The Scottish Government have been given a record settlement in the devolution era, and it is for the devolved Governments to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit. They are accountable to their own legislatures and, indeed, the Scottish public. That is a key principle of devolutio…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Broadcasting: Scotland
The Secretary of State and I are committed to supporting a flourishing broadcasting sector in Scotland and regularly meet its representatives. I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar was part of a recent engagement that the Scotland Office was delighted to co-host with MG Alba…
That is an interesting point. My hon. Friend has been advancing this case, and he is right: the whole objective of the growth deals is to enable people to live well in the places that they love. As he knows, the UK Government have delivered a historic spending review for Scotland, which includes amb…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Artificial Intelligence: Scotland
Artificial intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. It will turbocharge growth and boost living standards. Scotland, as we know well, has been the UK’s home of AI since 1963, and it will become the home of the most powerful supercomputer in the UK, with this Labour Government invest…
Much like my hon. Friend, who is a truly passionate advocate for his community, I am proud to represent one of Scotland’s industrial heartlands. He is right to highlight the role that they can play in Scotland’s AI future. As for his comments regarding the First Minister, my right hon. Friend the He…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 July 2025
3 contributions
Spending Review 2025: Scotland
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this debate on the impact of the spending review on Scotland, on all his advocacy on behalf of his constituents and on gifting us his deep expe…
I would be delighted to come to Dundee and hear from people directly, but I say gently to the hon. Gentleman that problems at the University of Dundee are a function of the decision making of a number of people, not least the university itself and the Scottish Government. I would of course be deligh…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
4 June 2025
2 contributions
Local Authority Funding: Barnett Formula
The Chancellor’s autumn Budget delivered the biggest settlement in the history of devolution for the Scottish Government—£50 billion. I want to see that cash reach the frontline services that have suffered years of cuts under the SNP. That record settlement is possible only because of the Barnett fo…
I could not agree more. In England, waiting lists have fallen since Labour came to office less than a year ago, while in Scotland they continue to rise, and we now see nearly one in six Scots waiting for treatment. John Swinney has, in total desperation, announced that the SNP Government’s fifth NHS…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
4 June 2025
4 contributions
Economic Co-operation: Scotland and Northern Ireland
Our recent trade deals with the United States, India and the EU will improve access to vital markets for businesses in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are deals with the most populous country in the world, the richest country in the world and our most important trading partner. I recognise…
I would be delighted to see more trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland. I will happily meet colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office to explore that.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
4 June 2025
3 contributions
Higher Education
Scotland’s universities are of course world-class, but I am very concerned about the financial difficulties faced by several of them. As the hon. Lady will know, higher education is a devolved matter, and Scotland’s universities, their staff and their students all need a Scottish Government with a p…
We are in ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government and Scottish universities, but I want to be absolutely definitive about this, because there has been some confusion in the press. Education policy is devolved, and the international student levy will not apply in Scotland unless the Scottish…
+1 more contribution in this session