Ahead of the Bells, Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray reflects on 2024 and looks ahead to 2025
This time of year is a chance for us all to look back and reflect, as well as look forward.
Looking back, I think we can all agree that 2024 has been quite a year.
People voted for change. And we are delivering on that with the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
Since July’s election we have made huge strides. We have taken the difficult decisions so we could fix the foundations of our economy, dealing with the appalling fiscal and industrial inheritance left by the previous administration.
We have made great progress in laying the foundations for delivering on our missions.
We launched the legislation to deliver Great British Energy, which will place Scotland right at the heart of our green energy revolution. We have put in place a £100 million package to support the workers at the Grangemouth refinery and boost the Falkirk and Grangemouth area.
We have published the biggest upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation. And I was very pleased to be able to support the Dad Shift lobby of Parliament for better paternity rights.
We have put more money in people’s pockets by increasing the minimum wage, uprating benefits and increasing pensions with the triple lock. Our Child Poverty Taskforce is working with partners to tackle the scourge of children living in poverty.
I went to Norway and South East Asia to launch Brand Scotland – our campaign to sell Scotland and Scottish businesses around the world.
We are doing politics differently.
We invited MPs and Peers from all parties to come to Dover House to sign White Ribbon Scotland’s pledge to help stop the scourge of violence against women and girls.
We have reset the relationship with the Scottish Government so that we can work constructively together on the issues that matter to people in Scotland.
I was very proud that, working with the Scottish Government, we were able to bring 19 female Afghan medical students to Scotland. They are an incredibly brave and inspirational group of women. Now settled at Scottish Universities, they will be a huge contribution to our NHS when they finish their studies.
And speaking of that important joint working, I want to make a special mention of our Ukrainian friends who have made new homes in Scotland, many of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in Edinburgh. I have been inspired by their bravery and resilience – and by their overwhelming desire to return home as soon as they can.
We are determined to make life better for everyone living in Scotland. The Chancellor’s Budget delivered an extra £4.9 billion for the Scottish Government, meaning a record £47.7 billion settlement for them next year, as well as £1.4 billion for local growth projects across Scotland – projects which will help create jobs and improve local communities.
That is all good progress, but of course it is not enough.
The UK Government is driving investment and reform to deliver growth. We are rebuilding Britain in a decade of national renewal.
As we look ahead to next year, I and the Scotland Office are focussed on my four priorities – clean energy, economic growth, tackling poverty and rolling out Brand Scotland around the world.
We will get GB Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, moving. This will drive our green energy revolution and ensure our energy security. We will bring in our new Skills Passport, to ensure our highly skilled oil and gas workers can transition to new green technologies. Project Willow will set out how we can ensure a sustainable future for the Grangemouth site as part of our clean energy future.
I intend to take Brand Scotland to new markets this year, to ensure that we attract inward investment to Scotland and help Scottish businesses export. Not just our fantastic products like whisky and salmon, but energy, financial services, culture, technology and manufacturing.
Our Child Poverty Taskforce – of which I am a member – will publish a comprehensive strategy in the Spring. That will set out how we will work with the Scottish Government and others to make sure that all children and families in Scotland have a decent standard of living and the opportunities they deserve. It will look at how we bring together all different strands of this – including housing, job security, health and education – dealing with the underlying causes of poverty so that children can be lifted out of poverty for good.
I am confident that, by the end of 2025, we will be making real progress in improving living standards and making life better for people in Scotland.
So, as we chomp on our black bun and head towards the Bells, may I wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.
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