Innovation Minister Alyn Smith has confirmed £10 million investment to develop two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) for Scotland.
Plans are underway to allocate sites in the east and west of the country to support the development of skills for well-paid careers in areas such as defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technology.
Along with Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn, Mr Smith has today written to Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard and Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander, to confirm the Scottish Government will match UK Government funding needed to underpin future industrial growth and competitiveness.
Mr Smith said: “Scotland is well placed to seize the opportunities arising out of the defence industry – with a highly skilled workforce, world-class colleges and universities and internationally recognised manufacturing.
“DTECs will allow workers to upskill and connect the next generation to opportunities in sectors where demand for a highly-skilled workforce is rising rapidly.
“I am pleased to confirm we will partner with the UK Government to develop plans for DTECs in Scotland and build on the £3.7 billion to Scotland’s economy provided by the defence sector.
“Our Programme for Government committed to establishing a responsible defence industrial growth programme to maximise the economic opportunities arising from increased defence spending. We will work with partners to ensure our workers are equipped with the right skills for emerging jobs in this vital sector.”
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “In March we announced a £10 million commitment to develop two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland.
“I’m pleased that the Scottish Government has now agreed to match fund these colleges to give our young people the skills they need to secure high-skilled, well-paid careers in Scotland’s defence sector in the years to come.
“Scotland is a defence industrial powerhouse and is already benefiting from increased UK Government investment as we deliver a defence dividend for Scotland, creating new skilled jobs, new training places and new opportunities for communities while keeping us and our allies secure.
“It is crucial that we continue to develop the skilled workforce needed to support this growing sector.”
BUT IS MORE ‘REGIONAL EMPOWERMENT’ ENOUGH FOR SCOTS?
In a speech today, the Prime Minister will invite Scotland’s First Minister to work with him on the common good of pushing more power out of both Westminster and Holyrood, unlocking jobs and opportunity in every region.
Delivering his remarks after speaking with young people today in Lanarkshire, Andy Burnham will emphasise the Scottish Government is one of the most centralised devolved administrations in Europe, with Holyrood not giving people who know their areas best enough of a say, despite significant devolution from Westminster over the last 27 years.
Because power was never supposed to stop at the doors of the Scottish Parliament, the Prime Minister will argue the next stage of devolution should place more decision-making in the hands of Scotland’s regions and cities to drive reindustrialisation.
As part of that offer, he will call on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government through No10 North and the Scotland Office to develop a new model of regional empowerment for Scotland, ensuring communities with their own strengths, identity and ambitions can seize new economic opportunities and unlock their potential.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “During my first week in office, I told the First Minister that I wanted to work with him to spread opportunities to communities across Scotland’s regions and cities.
“Through No10 North, we are rewiring the state and I want to make sure regions in Scotland are fully part of this.
“This is me making an offer to the Scottish Government. With us working together, there is no limit to what we can achieve for the Scottish people.”
The Scottish Secretary, Douglas Alexander said: “Devolution has done a great deal, but power was never supposed to stop at the doors of the Scottish Parliament. People in North Lanarkshire, in Fife or in the Highlands know what their communities need better than any minister, whether they sit in London or Edinburgh.
“The Prime Minister’s offer to the Scottish Government is a genuine one, and the Scotland Office is ready to roll up its sleeves alongside them to make it happen. Two governments, one goal – good jobs and real opportunity in every corner of Scotland”.
Latest poll suggest more Scots would vote for independence if another referendum was called today.
Ian Murray and Daniel Johnson call for more power and funding
Ian Murray and Daniel Johnson, the MP for Edinburgh South and MSP for Edinburgh Southern, have called for increased power and funding for Edinburgh, as new analysis shows the city has been short-changed by £147 million since 2014.
New analysis from the House of Commons Library found that if local government funding in Scotland had kept pace with the Scottish block grant, Scottish Councils would be £2bn better off.
Scottish Labour is arguing for more power and funding to be pushed out of Holyrood and into local communities.
Commenting, Ian Murray said:“Edinburgh is Scotland’s worst-funded local authority, receiving less funding per resident than every other council in the country. Everyone knows a road with a pothole that needs fixed, a school that needs more support for children with additional support needs, or a high street that needs local investment.
“Instead of empowering local communities and opening up politics and decision making to communities here, the SNP has chosen to hoard power and money in Holyrood and deprive areas of funding which would have made a real difference to the lives of local people.”
Daniel Johnson MSP said:“Too much money and control is centralised in Scotland, we need to reverse that and push funding and powers out of Holyrood and into local communities.”
Two Holyrood committees are working together to gather evidence on the impacts of potential hyperscale data centre construction and operation in Scotland.
The Climate Action Committee is calling for data and evidence on the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres from construction and operation to the long-term management and disposal of waste, hardware and materials.
The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee, meanwhile, wants to understand the potential economic and energy implications of hyperscale data centre development in Scotland.
A hyperscale data centre is a large facility that can be used for internet-based applications, data processing and artificial intelligence. There are no hyperscale data centres in Scotland, although more than 20 are proposed in different locations across the country.
Rather than focusing on specific proposals, the Committees’ call for evidence wants to gather a complete picture of the impact of data centres.
The Committees plan to share their findings with the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Finance, Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP who has said that guidance on hyperscale data centres will be published by Christmas.
In addition to its consultation, the Climate Action Committee will hold evidence sessions in October and November. The Committee has also agreed to consider whether to carry out further work in this area at a later date.
The call for views is open until 15 November 2026.
Stuart McMillan MSP, Convener of the Climate Action Committee, said:“We want to understand the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres and will share our findings ahead of the Scottish Government’s upcoming guidance.
“We would like to hear expert views about impacts on air and water quality, nature and biodiversity, noise pollution and emissions. We also want to understand what can be done to prevent or mitigate negative environmental impacts.
“We’re particularly keen to ensure that Scotland learns lessons from other countries where hyperscale data centres are already in operation.”
Convener of the Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee, Duncan Massey MSP, said:“Data centres have been grabbing the headlines but now it’s time to dig into the details.
“We want to ensure we understand whether there are economic positives for Scotland and what they are. Will they drive new jobs and create long term employment? What about our energy systems, are they able to support hyperscale data centres?
“To aid our scrutiny of Scottish Government decision making, we want to hear from experts working in these areas in order to build a clear picture of all the positives and negatives associated with bringing large scale data centres to Scotland.”
The ASSC and SHG host parliamentary reception to introduce MSPs to the visitor economy for the new parliamentary session, inviting politicians to test how much regulatory pressure the sector can take before it all comes tumbling down
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) and the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) hosted a drop-in reception at the Scottish Parliament to introduce MSPs to Scotland’s vital tourism and hospitality industry as the new parliamentary session gets under way.
The event, hosted by Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Tourism Daniel Johnson MSP, was attended by politicians from the SNP, Labour, Reform Scotland, Conservative and Liberal Dem benches, alongside self-caterers and hospitality operators from across the country.
Amongst the MSPs in attendance was Scottish Government Minister for Innovation Alyn Smith MSP and Scottish Labour leadership hopeful Joe Fagan MSP. Speeches were provided by ASSC and SHG leads, Fiona Campbell MBE and Stephen Montgomery.
To bring the sector’s message to life, guests were invited to try their hand at a giant tumbling tower, built from blocks representing the many regulatory and fiscal pressures facing tourism and hospitality businesses. As with any such tower, removing a single block rarely brings it down but each one removed brings the whole structure closer to collapse. MSPs and industry figures took turns testing exactly that.
The exercise also illustrated the argument behind a new infographic released by the two leading industry bodies: that businesses do not experience government policy one intervention at a time, but absorb the combined cost and administrative burden of everything introduced across government at once.
For self-caterers, that ranges from short-term let licensing and planning controls; and for hospitality businesses, from alcohol advertising restrictions, the deposit return scheme to Low Emission Zones. Moreover, that’s on top of shared pressures including visitor levies and rising business rates.
Tourism and hospitality are among Scotland’s greatest economic strengths, supporting jobs, businesses and communities in every constituency. But behind those numbers are people: the owners, operators, employees and entrepreneurs who welcome visitors, create jobs, invest locally and help make Scotland one of the world’s most welcoming destinations.
The ASSC and SHG hope the reception gave MSPs the chance to hear directly from some of those people, and to understand both the contribution they make and the challenges they are currently facing.
With all that in mind, the ASSC and SHG are now calling on national and local government to embed cumulative impact assessment into policymaking, so that any new measure affecting the visitor economy is considered not just on its own terms, but alongside the pressures businesses are already carrying.
With visitor spend reaching £11.4bn, the organisations argue that protecting the sector’s ability to invest, employ and grow is a matter of national economic importance, not just an industry concern.
Fiona Campbell MBE, Chief Executive of the ASSC, said: “Businesses do not experience government policies one at a time, they experience them all at once. Each new measure adds yet another block to an already growing burden.
When the regulatory burden keeps stacking up, businesses have less capacity to invest, employ and grow. We were therefore delighted to see MSPs get involved with our tumbling tower but while it was a fun visual, but there was serious thought behind it.
“Namely, that good policymaking must consider how various interventions interact and what the cumulative impact means for business. The reception was a valuable chance to start that conversation with cross-party MSPs and we look forward to building on that engagement throughout this parliamentary session and beyond.”
Stephen Montgomery, Director of the SHG, said: “Hospitality businesses are being asked to carry an ever-growing stack of taxation, regulation and additional costs, without the cumulative impact always being properly assessed.
“Every new block has to be paid for somewhere and government must look at the whole structure rather than adding measures one by one. What we now need, is government to speak to and include us in all the discussions, and take our factual evidence into account, before any policy is determined or implemented.
“Nevertheless, it was fantastic to welcome MSPs from across the political spectrum and we were greatly encouraged by the appetite for genuine engagement with our sector. We want to build on those conversations so that the industry and parliament are working together in partnership in the years ahead.
“After all, when hospitality and self-catering thrive, our communities thrive, our economy grows, and Scotland succeeds.”
The Scottish Greens have hailed Outlander star Sam Heughan’s support for a moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres ahead of a crunch vote in the Scottish Parliament today brought by the Green MSPs.
The Outlander star has urged politicians to “listen to what communities and environmental organisations are saying” and halt climate-wrecking data centre applications until a national strategy is in place.
The Scottish Greens have called for all applications for data centres above 50MW to be paused until a clear national strategy is in place, but the Scottish Government has fallen short of committing to a moratorium.
Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harviesaid: “Sam Heughan is right that the Scottish Government should listen to communities and campaigners who are calling for a moratorium.
“We need an immediate pause on these applications until we can assess the impact on our energy systems and local environments. The current approach from the Scottish Government is unsustainable.
“MSPs can show support for local communities by backing our calls for a proper national strategy and demanding the halt that is needed.”
And the number of applications could triple under projections from the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
That would divert far too much renewable energy from heating our homes, charging our EVs and powering our public transport, and decarbonising our industry – all of which is needed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and tackle the climate crisis.
PRIME Minister Andy Burnham has responded to John Swinney’s request for a meeting to discuss comments he made at Westminster this week.
In a letter to Scotland’s First Minister, Burnham explained: ‘I was simply highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland’ and goes on ‘As I made clear to you personally when we met recently in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are off limits as it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living.’
The Scottish Government has not formally responded but Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said on X: “We have already endured far too many years of obstruction, hurdles and political games from UK governments.
“It has gone on for far too long.
“The Scottish Parliament should have the power to trigger that referendum!”
Former high profile MSPs told the think tank in a series of “exit interviews” that the parliament is not living up to its consensus-building potential, contributing to key targets being missed.
It is not just the public who are deeply frustrated and disillusioned with the way politics and policymaking are working in Holyrood, new research from IPPR Scotland has found.
MSPs themselves have been feeling the same malaise, with a record number of them having chosen not to stand for re-election at this year’s Scottish parliamentary election.
In a series of detailed “exit interviews”, MSPs from across the political spectrum – including former backbenchers and senior cabinet figures – told researchers that the parliament has been underperforming. The findings come at a time of declining trust in politics and growing frustration with the way democratic institutions function. Voter turnout fell dramatically at the 2026 election and various polls showed voters felt Scotland was headed in the wrong direction.
The Scottish parliament was designed to bring competing ideas together to find productive compromise. But interviewees described a shift towards shallow partisanship, with MSPs increasingly falling back on party lines and formulaic debates where politicians speak past each other.
This disconnect between the parliament’s consensus-building design and adversarial politics undermines the quality of scrutiny and legislation.
The problems show up in the way parliamentary committees operate. When the parliament was set up in 1999, committees were imagined as spaces for sustained, collaborative discussions, allowing MSPs the time to develop subject expertise and contribute meaningfully to policy matters.
But interviewees said members pay little attention to one another, and serious engagement with the substance of issues is all too rare.
Researchers found that:
Short committee tenures are limiting the development of expertise. The median time MSPs serve on committees has hovered around one-and-a-half to two years, compared with five-year parliamentary terms. This restricts their ability to develop the kind of subject expertise that longer tenure would provide.
Instead of interactive discussions, MSPs increasingly resort to monologues. In the first parliamentary session, a committee member spoke an average of 117 words before another member spoke. By the sixth session, this had doubled to 232 words.
This affects the process of legislation making. Committees were intended to scrutinise legislation in detail, drawing on members’ expertise, expert witnesses and detailed evidence. But MSPs said debate has shifted to the final stages of legislation with poorly thought through amendments introduced at the last minute.
The researchers’ analysis of parliamentary data backs this up. In the first session (1999-2003), final-stage debates were about half as long as committee discussions. By the sixth, (2021-2026) the pattern had reversed, with final debates longer than committee stages.
IPPR Scotland has argued that the parliament needs to strengthen its consensus-building mechanisms, both to build trust with the electorate and because the challenges the country faces need long-term policies with widespread buy-in.
The think tank recommends that reforms to parliament be designed by a new Citizens’ Commission on Scotland’s Democracy, giving citizens a formal role in reviewing and reporting on the functioning of Scottish democracy through citizens’ assemblies and juries.
Dave Hawkey, senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, said: “Scotland faces formidable challenges, from cutting emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate crisis to managing the ageing population and reducing inequality.
“Solving each of these will need bold and far-reaching policy, including ideas from every corner of Scottish society.
“Low trust in politics is a major barrier to building the consensus we need to successfully guide Scotland through these changing times. Concretely, if citizens lack trust in politics, they will not agree to pay the taxes we need to fix our shared problems.”
Anonymous MSP1 said:“If you go as a minister to be interrogated by the opposition or backbenchers, the greatest disappointment is always how rubbish their questions are because they’re all sitting on their phones, you get to their shot, they ask a pre-prepared question.
“It’s either political or general most of the time. And then they go back to scrolling on Twitter.”
Anonymous MSP2 said:“You have legislation that grows arms and bells and whistles. [During recent debates] I was thinking: I cannot believe we’re actually accepting or agreeing to this amendment that, in one line, will give somebody a headline but will cause a huge tail end of policy issues.”
NSPCC’s Read, Write, Relationships campaign says children in Scotland are missing out on vital learning which could protect them from abuse
MSP has lodged a parliamentary motion to call for all children and young people across Scotland to have guaranteed access to consistent and relevant Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education.
The NSPCC, young people and partner organisations gathered outside Scottish Parliament on Thursday to urge the Government to act now to ensure every child receives the relationships education they need to stay safe.
This move was part of the charity’s ‘Read, Write, Relationships’ campaign, which it launched due to the patchy delivery of Relationship, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education across Scotland.
This week Scottish Green Party MSP, Laura Moodie, lodged a parliamentary motion, with cross party support, calling on ministers to guarantee all children and young people in Scotland have access to high-quality healthy relationships education. And on Tuesday, First Minister John Swinney made a commitment in the Programme for Government to tackling violence against women and girls.
On Thursday, campaigners outside Holyrood held a giant school timetable with a glaring gap to highlight that this crucial learning was still not guaranteed for every child in Scotland.
The charity also delivered Back to School packs to MSPs explaining why action is urgently needed and outlining the campaign’s calls for change.
The NSPCC launched the campaign last December following extensive engagement with young people across Scotland through its local campaigns work with a variety of partners including Young Women Know and the Scottish Youth Parliament. [WA1]
Many young people told the charity that the RSHP education they received was inconsistent, outdated and failed to reflect the realities of growing up today.
Ruth (15) a member of the NSPCC Young People’s Board for Change, said: “All children and young people should have access to education about healthy relationships because, without it, they may enter abusive or unhealthy relationships and not realise that this behaviour is unacceptable or harmful.”
Carla Malseed, NSPCC Influencing Campaigns Manager, said: “Every child deserves the knowledge and skills to recognise healthy relationships, spot harmful behaviour and stay safe, both online and offline. Yet right now, whether a young person receives that education can depend on which school they attend.
“Young people have told us clearly that what they’re being taught is, too often, inconsistent, out of date and disconnected from the challenges they face today. That simply isn’t good enough.
“While ministers delay, children are missing out on learning that could help protect them from abuse and navigate relationships safely.
“Healthy relationships education should be treated with the same importance as reading and writing. We’d like to see the Scottish Government act now to make high-quality RSHP education a right for every child, regardless of where they live or go to school.”
A YouGov poll commissioned by the NSPCC found that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of adults in Scotland believe that RSHP education should be made compulsory, while one in four believe it does not currently help children understand online abuse.
Scotland is now the only nation in the UK where this crucial area of education is not underpinned by a legal requirement. Although RSHP sits within Curriculum for Excellence, schools have discretion over what is taught and when, resulting in significant variation in children’s experiences.
NSPCC Scotland wants to see a stronger recognition of children and young people’s right to this education in line with the UN Conventions of the Rights of the Child and is calling on the Scottish Government to legislate to make it a guaranteed entitlement.
The charity is also calling for the introduction of clear national practice-based guidance, dedicated funding, professional training, time and resources for teachers, and robust monitoring by Education Scotland to ensure consistent delivery across the country.
People can sign a petition to support Read, Write, Relationships, by visiting: NSPCC
Young people looking for support on any of the issues mentioned, can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.
Adults who are concerned about a child or young person can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000, or email: help@NSPCC.org.uk.
Alyn Smith has been announced as the new Minister for Innovation, Technology & Tertiary Education.
Subject to parliamentary agreement and the approval of His Majesty the King, Mr Smith will succeed Ben Macpherson, who stepped down last week.
The First Minister made the appointment via video call as Mr Smith is currently suffering a minor illness.
The First Minister said: “I am very pleased to appoint Alyn Smith as Minister-designate for Innovation, Technology & Tertiary Education.
“Alyn is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in the UK, having served in both the European and UK Parliaments before being elected as an MSP. He has broad international experience and has shown long-term interest in skills, universities and colleges.
“Scotland’s future prosperity will be built on the talent of our people, the strength of our universities and colleges, and our ability to turn world-class ideas into jobs, investment and opportunity.
“My new Programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for post-school learning and development – from protecting free university tuition, expanding apprenticeships and delivering a new national skills plan, to supporting university research and spin-outs, and connecting business with academic institutions to drive innovation and growth.
“Alyn will work closely with Màiri McAllan to drive that agenda, working across government with other ministers and in partnership with industry and the education and skills sectors to deliver for Scotland’s people, communities and businesses.”
Mr Smith studied Law and European Law at the University of Leeds and completed a Masters degree in European Studies at the College of Europe in Warsaw. After teaching English in India and working with Scotland Europa in Brussels, he qualified as a lawyer and practised commercial law in London and Edinburgh.
In 2002, Mr Smith joined the office of Richard Lochhead MSP before becoming an adviser to the SNP Group in the Scottish Parliament on European, justice and business policy. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
Mr Smith served as Member of Parliament for Stirling from 2019 to 2024 before being elected as the MSP for Stirling in May 2026.
