Tag: Politics

Truss: I am determined to deliver

Prime Minister Liz Truss’s statement on the steps of Downing Street:

Good afternoon,

I have just accepted Her Majesty The Queen’s kind invitation to form a new government. 

Let me pay tribute to my predecessor.

Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine, and stood up to Russian aggression.

History will see him as a hugely consequential Prime Minister.

I’m honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country.

What makes the United Kingdom great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise, and in fair play.

Our people have shown grit, courage and determination time and time again.

We now face severe global headwinds caused by Russia’s appalling war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid.

Now is the time to tackle the issues that are holding Britain back.

We need to build roads, homes and broadband faster.

We need more investment and great jobs in every town and city across our country.

We need to reduce the burden on families and help people get on in life.

I know that we have what it takes to tackle those challenges.

Of course, it won’t be easy. But we can do it.

We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation…with high-paying jobs, safe streets and where everyone everywhere has the opportunities they deserve.

I will take action this day, and action every day, to make it happen.

United with our allies, we will stand up for freedom and democracy around the world – recognising that we can’t have security at home without having security abroad.

As Prime Minister, I will pursue three early priorities.

Firstly, I will get Britain working again.

I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform.

I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment.

I will drive reform in my mission to get the United Kingdom working, building, and growing.

We will get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills and we will also make sure, that we are building hospitals, schools, roads, and broadband.

Secondly, I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war.

I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply.

Thirdly, I will make sure that people can get doctors’ appointments and the NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing.

By delivering on the economy, on energy, and on the NHS, we will put our nation on the path to long-term success.

We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face.

As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger.

Our country was built by people who get things done.

We have huge reserves of talent, of energy, and determination.

I am confident that together we can:

Ride out the storm,

We can rebuild our economy,

And we can become the modern brilliant Britain that I know we can be.

This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I am determined to deliver. Thank you.

CABINET APPOINTMENTS:

  • The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP as Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
  • The Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. She will also be Deputy Prime Minister (below).
  • The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP as Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
  • The Rt Hon Suella Braverman QC MP as Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Wendy Morton MP as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip). She will attend Cabinet
  • The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Defence
  • The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP as Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice
  • The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and Minister for Equalities
  • The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP as Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons
  • Lord True CBE as Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords
  • The Rt Hon Jake Berry MP as Minister without Portfolio
  • The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP has been re-appointed as COP26 President
  • The Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
  • The Rt Hon Simon Clarke MP as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
  • Kemi Badenoch MP as Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade
  • Chloe Smith MP as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
  • The Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP as Secretary of State for Education
  • Ranil Jayawardena MP as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP as Secretary of State for Transport
  • The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
  • The Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland
  • The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE QC MP has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Wales
  • Chris Philp MP as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He will attend Cabinet
  • Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP as Attorney General. He will attend Cabinet
  • Edward Argar MP as Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office. He will attend Cabinet
  • Vicky Ford MP as a Minister of State (Minister for Development) in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. She will attend Cabinet
  • Tom Tugendhat MBE MP as a Minister of State (Minister for Security) in the Home Department. He will attend Cabinet
  • James Heappey MP has been re-appointed as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence. He will be Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans and will attend Cabinet.
  • Graham Stuart MP as a Minister of State (Minister for Climate) in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. He will attend Cabinet.

First Minister to set out Cost Crisis Programme for Government

Scottish Child Payment increased from 14 November

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will set out a raft of actions this afternoon (Tuesday 6 September) in a Programme for Government designed to help people through the cost emergency.

The package will include an increase in Scottish Child Payment to £25 per eligible child per week from 14 November, with the ground-breaking anti-poverty benefit also opening to applications for all eligible under-16s from that date.

The First Minister is determined to help households and businesses cope with a “humanitarian crisis that will cost lives.” She has also called on the UK Government to take urgent action as it holds most of the key policy levers and resources to fully address the crisis.

Speaking ahead of her statement to Parliament on the 2022-23 Programme for Government, the First Minister said: “The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland, the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK and an important action to mitigate the growing cost emergency. 

“We doubled the payment to £20 per week per child in April and the further increase to £25 from November means a rise of 150% in less than eight months.

“Around 104,000 children currently in receipt of Scottish Child Payment will have it automatically increased to £25 per week. All new eligible under 16s will also benefit from the £25 rate, with all payments backdated to the date their application is received.

“Through this year’s Programme for Government we will take every action, within the financial means and legislative powers at our disposal, to help people through this humanitarian crisis that will cost lives.

“The most significant powers to tackle this crisis rest squarely with the UK Government and their inaction has compounded the difficulties everyone is facing.

“In the absence of a plan from the incoming Prime Minister we have a clear set of actions which the UK Government could take now, and should have taken already, to begin to address the crisis. These include an immediate cancellation of the October price cap rise and an uprating of benefits. 

“The last few months have made it abundantly clear Scotland cannot rely on the UK Government to support people in Scotland through this crisis. It is vital they have a choice over their future.

“Make no mistake, we will continue to act where others have not to help people and businesses – and the UK Government needs to follow our example.”

Tuesday 6 September – 1420-1450 First Minister’s Statement: Programme for Government, followed by; 1450-1700 Scottish Government Debate: Programme for Government.

That’s All, Folks: Bye bye, Boris!

Boris Johnson gave his final speech as Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street

Well this is it folks, thanks to all of you for coming out so early this morning.

In only a couple of hours from now I will be in Balmoral to see Her Majesty The Queen and the torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader: the baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race – they changed the rules half-way through but never mind that now – and through that lacquered black door a new Prime Minister will shortly go to meet a fantastic group of public servants.

The people who got Brexit done

the people who delivered the fastest vaccine roll out in Europe

and never forget – 70 per cent of the entire population got a dose within 6 months, faster than any comparable country

That is government for you – that’s this Conservative government – the people who organised those prompt early supplies of weapons to the heroic Ukrainian armed forces, an action that may very well have helped change the course of the biggest European war for 80 years.

And because of the speed and urgency of what you did – everybody involved in this government – to get this economy moving again from July last year in spite of all opposition, all the naysayers we have and will continue to have that economic strength to give people the cash they need to get through this energy crisis that has been caused by Putin’s vicious war.

And  I know that Liz Truss and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis.

And this country will endure it and we will win.

And if Putin thinks that he can succeed by blackmailing or bullying the British people then he is utterly deluded and the reason we will have those funds now and in the future is because we Conservatives understand the vital symmetry between government action and free market capitalist private sector enterprise.

We are delivering on those huge manifesto commitments:

making streets safer – neighbourhood crime down 38 per cent in the last three years

13,790 more police on the streets

building more hospitals – and yes we will have 50,000 more nurses by the end of this parliament and 40 more hospitals by the end of the decade

putting record funding into our schools and into teachers’ pay

giving everyone over 18 a lifetime skills guarantee so they can keep upskilling throughout their lives

3 new high speed rail lines including northern powerhouse rail

colossal road programmes from the Pennines to Cornwall,

the roll-out of gigabit broadband up over the last three years, since you were kind enough to elect me, up from 7 per cent of our country’s premises having gigabit broadband to 70 per cent today.

And we are of course providing the short and the long term solutions for our energy needs – and not just using more of our own domestic hydrocarbons but going up by 2030 to 50 GW of wind power, that is half this country’s energy electricity needs from offshore wind alone, a new nuclear reactor every year.

And looking at what is happening in this country, the changes that are taking place: that is why the private sector is investing more venture capital investment than China itself, more billion pound tech companies sprouting here than in France, Germany and Israel combined and as a result unemployment as I leave office, down to lows not seen since I was about ten years old and bouncing around on a space hopper.

And on the subject of bouncing around and future careers let me say that I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the pacific.

And like Cincinnatus I am returning to my plough and I will be offering this government nothing but the most fervent support.

this is a tough time for the economy, this is a tough time for families up and down the country – we can and we will get through it and we will come out stronger the other side – but I say to my fellow Conservatives it is time for the politics to be over folks and it’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her programme and deliver for the people of this country.

Because that is what the people of this country want, that’s what they need and that’s what they deserve.

I am proud to have discharged the promises I made my party when you were kind enough to choose me,

winning the biggest majority since 1987 and the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

delivering Brexit

delivering our manifesto commitments – including social care

helping people up and down the country

ensuring that Britain is once again standing tall in the world

speaking with clarity and authority

from Ukraine to the AUKUS pact with America and Australia

because we are one whole and entire United Kingdom whose diplomats, security services and armed forces are so globally admired

and as I leave I believe our union is so strong that those who want to break it up, will keep trying but they will never ever succeed

thank you to everyone behind me in this building for looking after me and my family over the last three years so well including Dilyn, the dog

and if Dilyn and Larry (the Downing Street dog and cat)can put behind them their occasional difficulties, then so can the Conservative party.

And above all thanks to you, the British people, to the voters for giving me the chance to serve all of you who worked so tirelessly together to beat covid to put us where we are today.

Together we have laid foundations that will stand the test of time, whether by taking back control of our laws or putting in vital new infrastructure: great solid masonry on which we will continue to build together, paving the path of prosperity now & for future generations.

And I will be supporting Liz Truss and our new government every step of the way.

Thank you all very much.

MSPs investigate support for disabled people’s transition to adulthood

SHARE YOUR VIEWS WITH HOLYROOD COMMITTEE

MSPs are asking for the public to share their views on the support that is currently available for disabled children and young people as they grow into adulthood.

The findings will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee as part of their scrutiny of a Bill which seeks to introduce more structured support for disabled children and young people in their transition to adulthood.

The Bill has been proposed by Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, following on from work started by Johann Lamont in the last session of Parliament.

If passed, the Bill would make three main changes to the law:

  • the Scottish Government would need to have a strategy explaining how they are going to improve opportunities for disabled children and young people
  • a Scottish Government minister would be placed in charge of improving opportunities for disabled children and young people moving into adulthood
  • local authorities would need to have plans for each disabled child and young person as they move into adulthood

Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said: “A young person’s transition to adulthood is a critical stage in their lives and our Committee wants to be sure that the right kind of support is available to help disabled children and young people as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

“We want to hear the views of disabled children and young people, their parents and their carers on these proposals.

“We’re particularly keen to understand more about the how the support that is currently available is viewed.”

The Committee’s call for views and survey on the Bill opened on 1 September and people can share their views until 27 October 2022.

STUC: Scotland Demands A Pay Rise

March and Rally outside the Scottish Parliament

Thursday 8th September

Assemble 10:30am: Johnson Terrace, EH1 2PW March off: 11am

Rally at the Scottish Parliament 11.30 – 1pm

The Cost-of-Living Crisis is hitting people across the country. Public service workers in particular are facing a fresh set of real terms pay cuts on top of years of stagnating wages.

The STUC and our affiliated unions are campaigning for a range of urgent actions to stem this crisis, including action to reduce energy bills, support for those of all ages on benefits, rent caps and action to reduce transport costs.

The ultimate responsibility for the Cost-of-Living Crisis sits with the Tories at Westminster. However, this does not mean that the Scottish Government is powerless. It needs to start by funding inflation level pay rises for Scottish public service workers.

Join us, as we demand better for the public service workers of Scotland.

Tortoise seeks judicial review of election process for new Tory leader

Tortoise Media is seeking judicial review of the Conservative Party’s refusal to provide information about the running of the election to decide Boris Johnson’s successor as Party leader and Prime Minister.

The Tortoise newsroom asked for information about the demographics of the membership voting to elect the next leader and Prime Minister; they asked for the numbers of members and how they have grown over time; asked what the Party does to ensure members are who they say they are; and asked what the Party does to deal with attempts at infiltration and interference.  

The Conservative Party refused to answer any of these questions.  Darren Mott, CEO of the Conservatives, said the election was a “private matter” and that the choice of PM is not ultimately made by the members, but the Queen. 

(The full letter is here.)  

Tortoise believe that this is unlawful.   On the advice of lawyers, they have written to the Conservative Party to inform them that they are seeking judicial review because they believe that the Party’s refusal to disclose information is in breach of common law and human rights law – i.e. the Conservative Party is in breach of the laws safeguarding open government and guaranteeing our right to know information regarding the operation of our government and democracy. 

(The full text of our letter to the Conservative Party is here.)

The full argument for judicial review can be found here but in summary we believe the leadership process to be undemocratic, in its conspicuous lack of transparency, and against the principle of open and fair democracy:

  • – undemocratic because the process by which Conservative Party chooses the next PM is unrepresentative (the membership accounts for little over 0.2 per cent of the population and includes non-UK citizens and under-age voters) and because it’s unsafe (the Party has provided no assurance to us as to how or if it checks voters are who they say they are). 
  • – unlawful because we asked the Conservative Party to provide information about the demographics of the electorate, the efforts taken to validate party members and the process of securing the election from interference.  They refused.  In doing so, we believe they’ve breached the common law principle of open government and human rights enshrined in law guaranteeing information is made available to the public about the operation of our democracy. 
  • – we know more about the membership of the Chinese Communist Party – age, gender, geography, job – than we do about the Conservative Party members choosing our prime minister
  • – Party insiders estimate the membership has grown by 50-70,000 people in the last three years, but no one can say who they are; no one, in fact, can say how many of the members are on the electoral register
  • – if Liz Truss moves into No. 10 next week, she’ll have the weakest mandate of any modern prime minister, not being the choice of the majority of Conservative MPs but carried into office by 80,000 or so people who pay £25 a year to be Conservative Party members. 
  • – when we asked a Party official who oversees the Party’s compliance processes to ensure voters are who they say they are, we were told: “Nobody”.  The former head of one of the UK’s national security agencies said the Conservative Party is not resourced to run an election of this importance. 

James Harding, Editor of Tortoise, said: “After we registered Archie, our pet tortoise, a couple of foreign nationals and the late Lady Thatcher as members of the Conservative Party – and the Party had taken the money, issued them all with new membership numbers and invited them to the leader hustings – we were concerned about how the Conservative Party was running this election. 

“We wrote to the Conservative Party to ask who the voters are and what they do to ensure they are who they say they are.  They have refused to answer.  

“This is no way to choose the person who, from next week, will be Prime Minister of a nuclear-armed G7 nation with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.  

“This election is obviously undemocratic.  The Party’s insistence on secrecy is also unlawful.  We are a newsroom; our job is to inform; if the Conservative Party refuses to disclose information in the public interest, we can’t just shrug, we need to take it to court.  

“The public surely has the right to know who gets to choose who runs the country and what is done to ensure the election is clean and safe. ” 

NO DEAL: Unions reject new Cosla offer that’s ‘as good as it gets’

MORE BINS MISERY LOOMS AS FURTHER STRIKES PLANNED

COSLA last night expressed its disappointment with the Local Government Trade Unions reaction to ‘one of the best pay deals for their workforce in decades’.

The offer, negotiated on behalf of Scotland’s 32 councils, is an overall package worth half a billion pounds, giving 5% to all staff plus an additional cost of living payment to our lowest paid employees. Based on a 37-hour week no member of staff will get less than an additional £1925 and for those earning under £20,500 at least a £2,000 pay increase – for this year and also next year.

This has been designed to address the concerns and firm view of Trade Unions that the lowest paid must be protected during this crisis and demonstrates Local Government’s commitment to not leave anyone behind.  

Councils continue to strive to lead the way in pushing up minimum rates of pay and as well as this are including an extra days annual leave this year.

Councillor Katie Hagmann COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson said: “Council Leaders have said consistently throughout these negotiations that we absolutely value and are grateful to all of our local government workforce.

“It is perhaps only when waste starts piling up and there is the prospect of further disruption to life with school closures that others see the hidden value local government services deliver each and every day of the year in our towns, villages and cities.

“It is for this reason that we as employers have done everything possible to put the best offer we can to our workforce.  But we are now at the absolute extremes of affordability and this is already an offer which is stretching our already stretched finances like never before.

“This year’s offer is significantly better and different to previous offers and would have helped to support our Council workforces across the country at this difficult time.

“That support is crucial at any time but particularly now, during the cost of living crisis the country is facing.  This is why we are so disappointed with the response to it from our Trade Union colleagues.

“Given our commitment as Employers to get to this point, we are disappointed that Trade Unions will not suspend planned strike action whilst they put this offer to members to allow workers to get back to doing what they do best, delivering high quality, essential services right across Scotland.

“My final point to the Trade Union colleagues is that we have done everything we possibly can to get to this stage and that this offer – which is still on the table – is as good as it gets.”

UNISON responded: ‘Strikes to continue – We will recommend UNISON council members vote to reject the latest LG pay offer in a digital consultative ballot in the coming days.’

GMB Scotland and Unite, the two other unions locked in the local government dispute, also rejected the latest pay offer. GMB says the council pay offer feathers nests of service directors over frontline staff.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Keir Greenaway said: “A flat rate award is a key demand from unions to ensure more consolidated money goes into the pockets of frontline workers and not the highest paid in our councils. COSLA knew this but instead tabled this offer as an across-the-board percentage rise that only feathers the nests of service directors.

“This was unacceptable to our local government committee members. It’s not credible that in the grip of the biggest cost-of-living crisis in forty years, and with inflation and energy bills soaring, a head of service gets four times the consolidated increase than a bin collector, cleaner or carer.

“That’s why we have written to COSLA again this evening urging them to return to talks as soon as possible and to negotiate a new offer based on a flat rate increase. If they don’t do this, then when our committee reconvenes tomorrow, we will outline our plans to fully consult GMB members.”

The big clean up begins in Edinburgh this morning – but unless a pay deal can be thrashed out we could be facing another round of industrial action in Auld Reekie as earky as next week.

UNITE members rallied outside the City Chambers yesterday to mark the end of the first wave of strikes – but made clear this dispute is far from over.

A Unite spokesperson said: “Unless they get an offer Local Authority workers deserve, Edinburgh will be joined by 19 other Councils to take further action from September 6th.”

Ian Murray: Sturgeon is using Scottish Parliament to manage decline and push for independence

Shadow Scottish Secretary: At some point, something will break, and Scottish voters will say: ‘We can’t go on like this’.

LABOUR’S Ian Murray has blasted Nicola Sturgeon for using the Scottish Parliament to “manage decline” and push for independence.

In an exclusive interview with GB News, Mr Murray, who is Labour’s only MP in Scotland, ripped into Ms Sturgeon and said although he doesn’t think Scottish Independence will happen anytime soon opponents would have to fight “very, very hard” to prevent it in any new vote.

Speaking to Gloria De Piero, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland also opened up about losing his father when he was aged just nine.

He also recalled the bizarre moment he almost blew his chance of a Shadow Cabinet job – by mistakenly putting the phone down on then Labour-leader Harriet Harman when she’d called to offer him the post. 

Asked by Ms Piero about the chances of Scotland ever securing independence during his lifetime he said: “I absolutely don’t think I will live to see it, because it just doesn’t work. They just cannot find a viable way of promoting a proposition that works.

“And that’s not to say they might not win it eventually.  Nicola Sturgeon has said that if they lose a second one, they’ll have a third. And all this stuff about mandates, about Brexit, about the Tories. All of the excuses that they give for another referendum are all the excuses that were given the day after the last one. 

“So, we’re just finding an excuse and a trigger to have one. And as all that’s happening, and I see it in my own constituency day in, day out is the NHS is getting worse, educational attainment gap’s widening, transport is  dreadful, the economy is slipping behind the rest of the UK, the number of higher rate taxpayers is diminishing, the demographics are much older and therefore all the problems that comes with that.

“And none of that’s being dealt with. It’s just all Westminster’s fault: ‘so vote for independence’. And I just think at some point, something will break, and Scottish voters will go, ‘We can’t go on like this’. And maybe that’ll take another referendum, you know, I don’t want one, we shouldn’t have one, if we end up having one, we’ll fight very, very hard to stay in the United Kingdom.

“But something’s going to have to break to get out of this. Otherwise, we’re going to stay on this constitutional merry go round and things are just going to get worse. This Scottish Government essentially uses the Scottish Parliament to manage decline.”

Mr Murray, who represents Edinburgh South, also opened up to Ms Piero about losing his dad, Jim, when he was just nine years old. 

Recalling the night he died, Mr Murray said: “We were playing snooker at home, mum was out at the bingo, and he was in his pyjamas. His bottoms fell down and I was only nine so I started laughing, my brother was a little bit embarrassed and a bit concerned. But, you know, he also just thought it was him messing around. Then he never missed a ball for about 10 minutes, he just potted everything and we were going: ‘This is a bit strange’.

“Then 10 minutes later, he was on the floor. He had a cerebral haemorrhage. Mum was called and rushed home. Eventually the ambulance came. Then at four o’clock in the morning mum returned and said, ‘Dad’s not coming home’.  The following morning, I woke up, went into the lounge, and the whole family were sitting there, and that’s when it really sunk in.  

“The lesson from it was that he had been ill for some time and didn’t tell anyone and he should have really got some advice. Whether or not, in the mid-80s, he would have been able to get the medical attention required to sort something like that, I don’t know, because obviously it’s moved on quite a bit.

“But, you know, he was having blackouts at work and wasn’t telling anyone, he was feeling a bit depressed, which is all the great symptoms of having something wrong with your brain. My dad was 39 when he died. I’m six years older than that now, so I reflect on it a lot. And being a father now as well, I reflect on it a lot. But yeah, I mean it was utterly traumatic, and my poor mum had to deal with the consequences of it. She went into 6th gear and brought up two boys on her own.”

Mr Murray said he has hardly any memories of his dad and that his mother, Lena, never talks about her husband’s death. 

“She’s never, ever spoken about it,” he continued. “Apart from her regret that she didn’t let us boys go to the funeral, which was a choice she made at the time, and I think she regrets that.” 

Mr Murray was the only Scottish Labour MP to keep his seat in 2015, meaning even though he’d been tipped by many to one day become Shadow Scottish Secretary he suddenly became the automatic choice. 

However, as he told GB News, things didn’t run smoothly.

He explained: “Because I’d been the only person to win, my phone for 24 hours was just completely red hot. And there was this woman called Harriet from the BBC Scotland who was phoning me up constantly to say, ‘Could you do drive time? Could you do the morning show? Could you do Good Morning Scotland?’ and ‘What about Sunday Shows?’.

“Obviously because the election was on the Thursday, elected overnight on the Thursday night into Friday. And I just said, ‘Look. It’s been a really tough election. I’ve done all the media I really want to do. I have nothing else to say and until things settle down, I’m not quite sure I want to do anymore’, and she kept ringing and ringing.

“And then my phone rang again, and I just picked it up, I was in my flat at home, the flat I still live in, and I just said, ‘Ian Murray speaking’. And I just heard this, ‘It’s Harriet here’, and I didn’t hear anything else, the voice on the other side of the phone said, ‘I’d like you to join the Shadow cabinet’, and I thought I heard, ‘Are you joining the Shadow Cabinet?’.

“I went, ‘Look Harriet, will you stop bothering me? It’s been a long week. You know, I am the only one that’s left. We’re all in a bit of shock here, and I’m sick of journalists phoning me and asking me if I’m joining the Shadow Cabinet. So, the answer is no comment’, and I put the phone down. And actually, the phone rang again, and it was Harriet Harman as the acting leader of the Labour Party offering me a place in the Shadow Cabinet.”

Laughing, he added: “So, I apologised profusely, and she promised never to mention it. Oh, and I also promised I would never tell the story….”

Sue Webber MSP welcomed to Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre

Dogs Trust staff welcomed Sue Webber MSP to West Calder Rehoming Centre last week where she met handsome hounds patiently awaiting new homes.  

As well as a tour of the West Lothian centre, the MSP for Lothian Region met with a number of the charity’s foster carers who were attending a ‘Thank Dog Its Fostering Friday’ event.  Sue heard more about what fostering entails from couple Roy and Laura who have fostered for six years, in which time they have cared for over 135 dogs. 

Speaking about the visit, Ms Webber said: “As a dog owner myself I know how much a part of the family they are, so it was lovely to meet some of the fantastic dogs currently in Dogs Trust care especially new resident Phoebe. 

“It was also great to hear more about the charity’s fostering scheme and to meet foster carers Roy and Laura.  It was incredibly inspiring to listen to them talk so passionately about the rescue dogs they have cared for and how rewarding an experience it is for them. I would encourage anyone interested in fostering to contact the charity and find out more.”

West Calder Rehoming Centre Manager Susan Tonner said: “We were delighted to welcome Ms Webber and give her a tour of the centre. 

“As we also had an event on that day for our wonderful fosterer carers, it was ideal that she was able to spend time with them and hear more about the benefits for our dogs of living in a home environment.

“She was very supportive of our Home from Home fostering scheme and its continued growth within Scotland, and we are grateful for that support.” 

Dogs Trust is currently looking for Home from Home fosterers in Lothian and Borders. Anyone interested can call the centre on 01506 873459.

Anyone interested in rehoming three-year-old lurcher Phoebe, or any of the other four-legged friends in the charities care, click here: 

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/ 

Progress to becoming a fairer, greener Scotland?

Marking one year of the Bute House Agreement

New funding has been announced to cut carbon emissions in homes and commercial properties, as the Scottish Government continues to focus on delivering its net zero targets and support families with the cost of living.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie announced £16.2 million funding for five zero emission heat networks during a visit to ng Homes in Glasgow.

The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group signing the Bute House Agreement, a plan to work together to build a green economic recovery from COVID, respond to the climate emergency and create a fairer country.

In its first year the agreement has delivered a range of benefits for households, communities and businesses and seen work begin on a number of longer-term reforms.

Particular progress has been made across a range of areas including:

  • Doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week per eligible child from April 2022, with plans to extend eligibility to under 16s and further increasing the payment to £25 per week by the end of 2022.
  • Bringing ScotRail into public ownership.
  • Introducing free bus travel for under 22s to cut the cost of living for young people, encourage sustainable travel behaviours early in their lives and improve access to education, leisure, and work.
  • Investing a record £150 million in active travel in 2022-23, including more than doubling the funding for the National Cycle Network, a new walking fund, and supporting pilots for free bikes for school age children who cannot afford them.
  • Publishing Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation setting out how Scotland will transition to a wellbeing economy.

The Agreement set out a strategy for over a million homes to be using zero carbon heating systems by the end of the decade and allocating funds from a total planned investment of £1.8 billion to cut energy bills, improved building energy efficiency and reduce climate emissions.

Scotland’s Heat Network Fund offers long term funding support to deliver more climate-friendly ways of heating Scotland’s homes and buildings. It has enabled the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and communal heating systems, as well as the expansion and decarbonisation of existing heat networks across Scotland.

Moving forward, the Scottish Government is primarily focused on four key tasks: reducing child poverty; addressing the climate crisis; the recovery from COVID of Scotland’s public services including the delivery of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation; and the development of the prospectus for an independent Scotland and an independence referendum in October 2023. 

The First Minister said: “The world has changed substantially since the Agreement was reached 12 months ago. The conflict in Ukraine and the rising cost of living crisis have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.

“However, the stable and collaborative government provided by the Agreement, has helped to deliver immediate action in the face of these challenges, including supporting those displaced from Ukraine and using the powers that Ministers have to address the cost of living crisis.

“Action is needed now to support communities to respond to the cost of living and climate crises, and Scotland’s Heat Network Fund is just one of the many initiatives that the Scottish Government has already undertaken.

“The projects that receive support from the Fund will fully align with the Scottish Government’s aim to eradicate fuel poverty by supplying heat at affordable prices to consumers, which is especially important now when we are seeing record rises in the cost of heating.

“The Bute House Agreement was reached to equip us best to deal with the challenges we face, because we believe that new ideas and ways of working are required to deal with new problems. An unstable world needs more co-operation and more constructive working towards building a consensus, if governments are to be equal to what the people need of them.”

Mr Harvie said: “One year on from the Scottish Greens entering government as part of the Bute House Agreement, I am proud of what this Government is doing to build a fairer, greener Scotland.

“From free bus transport for young people to doubling the Scottish Child Payment, we are committed to accelerating action to tackle the climate and cost of living crises.

“The energy crisis households across Scotland now face is being driven by rocketing prices for gas, which we depend on for heat. We are clear that we need to redouble our efforts to improve the efficiency of our homes, making them more comfortable and cheaper to run, and end our reliance on gas for heat. That’s why we are investing £1.8 billion in our green homes and buildings programme.

“Delivering a just transition to net-zero and seizing the opportunities this presents is a major focus of the Scottish Government, and rapidly increasing Scotland’s renewable energy generating capacity and securing accompanying jobs and investment will be central to our work over the rest of the parliament.

“During the first year of the Agreement firm foundations have been built, demonstrating delivery and progress on shared policy priorities and adopting an approach that is both challenging and constructive.”

Bute House Agreement – One Year On report

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