Tag: Politics

Brexit costs Edinburgh equivalent of £211.4 MILLION as exports plummet

SCOTTISH ECONOMY LOSES £2.2BN IN TRADE TO EU

Brexit has cost Edinburgh the equivalent of £211.4 million as Scottish exports have plummeted since the UK left the EU to the value of £2.2bn.

Figures from HMRC show that exports have dropped 13% in the past two years from £16.7bn to £14.5bn.

The £2.2bn loss is equivalent to Edinburgh losing £211.4 million.

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster for every area of Scotland, including in Edinburgh. These latest figures show why it is essential for Scotland to become independent and re-join the European Union.

“Only with independence can we get back on the road towards prosperity as both Labour and the Tories offer no way back to the European Union, just continuing decline under Westminster control.

“Industries in Edinburgh and across Scotland are suffering as a result of the disastrous Brexit, the only way Scotland can flourish and realise our full potential is by becoming an independent country in the European Union.”

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23091755.scots-exports-slump-13-per-cent-since-brexit/

Area                                   Population                       Lost Export Value

Scotland                            5,479,900                         £2.2 billion

Aberdeen City                  227,430                             £91.3 million

Aberdeenshire               262,690                             £105.5 million

Angus                                116,120                             £46.6 million

Argyll and Bute                86,220                               £34.6 million

City of Edinburgh            526,470                             £211.4 million

Clackmannanshire          51,540                               £20.7 million

Dumfries and Galloway 148,790                             £59.7 million

Dundee City                     147,720                             £59.3 million

East Ayrshire                    122,020                           £49 million

East Dunbartonshire      108,900                             £43.7 million

East Lothian                     109,580                             £44 million

East Renfrewshire           96,580                               £38.8 million

Falkirk                                160,700                             £64.5 million

Fife                                     374,730                             £150.4 million

Glasgow City                    635,130                             £255 million

Highland                           238,060                             £95.6 million

Inverclyde                         76,700                               £30.8 million

Midlothian                        94,680                               £38 million

Moray                               96,410                               £38.7 million

Na h-Eileanan Siar           26,640                               £10.7 million

North Ayrshire                 134,220                             £53.9 million

North Lanarkshire           341,400                             £137.1 million

Orkney Islands                 22,540                               £9 million

Perth and Kinross            153,810                             £61.7 million

Renfrewshire                   179,940                             £72.2 million

Scottish Borders              116,020                             £46.6 million

Shetland Islands              22,940                               £9.2 million

South Ayrshire                 112,450                             £45.1 million

South Lanarkshire           322,630                             £129.5 million

Stirling                               93,470                               £37.5 million

West Dunbartonshire    87,790                               £35.2 million

West Lothian                   185,580                             £74.5 million

MSP reflects on Black History Month

Responding after the end of Black History Month, which ran from 1st October 2022 to 31st October 2022, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “October may have now come to a close but important action to raise awareness of the devastating effects of colonialism and slavery must continue. 

“This Black History Month, I joined my constituents in attending events and participating in sessions which raised awareness of black history and the unfortunate legacy of slavery and colonialism within Scotland.  

“When attending the session on Data-Led Recommendations to Progress Racial Equality in Scotland, I learnt that there are shocking statistics on the relationship between immigration status and minoritised communities in Scotland.  

“Now is the time to have these difficult conversations and generate meaningful action which hopefully leads to equality and prosperity for all.  

“I also got involved with promoting an important fundraiser by the Mandela Scottish Memorial, who are raising funds for a statue of Nelson Mandela in Scotland.  

“The statute will be a focus for education and information and also as a reminder of Mandela’s lessons on anti-racism and social justice. 

“It is important that after Black History month we continue to engage in self-education and recognition of Scotland’s ties to racism, colonialism and slavery.  

“I welcome Robert Aldridge (above), the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, apologising on behalf of the city of Edinburgh for its past role in sustaining colonialism and slavery.  

“This is an important step forward and similar work needs to continue to tackle the legacy of colonialism and slavery across Scotland.  

“I welcome the creation of an independent Legacy Commission and will be monitoring this with great interest.” 

Sarah Boyack calls on UK Government to deliver cost of living support

Scottish Labour MSP, Sarah Boyack, has called on the Tory UK Government to get on with delivering their cost of living support package as who do not have a domestic electricity contract are still waiting for details of the support they will receive, despite payments already being made to residents with a domestic energy contract.

People without domestic electricity contracts are still waiting for confirmation that they will receive the £400 Energy Bill Support and how this will be paid to them

In a policy paper, the UK Government confirmed that the support will be provided to those who do not have a direct relationship with an electricity supplier – however, there is still no clarity about the process.

Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour MSP for Lothian, said: “While there is revolving door for Prime Ministers and Ministers, the Tories are failing to deliver for local residents here in Edinburgh.

“Local residents who do not have a direct relationship with their energy supplier are still waiting for the clarification on how and when they will receive the £400 Energy Bill Support, as the winter weather starts to come in. 

“The cost of living emergency is already starting to bite as more and more families are having to make the choice between heating and eating.

“I have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to announce details as soon as possible which will provide certainty to families.”

Election looms as Northern Ireland deadline passes

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has issued the following statement after the deadline for the re-formation of the Northern Ireland Executive passed:

As of earlier today, an Executive can no longer form and I am duty-bound by law to call new elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly as set out in the New Decade, New Approach agreement as soon as practicably possible and within 12 weeks.

I believe strongly that people in Northern Ireland deserve locally-elected decision-makers who are working for them, to address the issues that matter most to people here.

Having spoken with the various Party leaders this week, I know no one in Northern Ireland is calling for an election – but nearly all Parties signed up to the Agreement that put us in this position only a couple of years ago.

Today I also met the Chief Electoral Officer to discuss operational considerations to inform my decision about the election date.

It was particularly disappointing to see yesterday that the Assembly was still unable to elect a Speaker, despite all the time that has passed.

At a time when so many are struggling with the cost of living and fearful of what is to come, I understand people’s frustration that MLAs continue to draw a full salary when they are not performing all the duties they were elected to do. So, I will be considering my options to act on MLA pay.

Right now, the Executive no longer has Ministers in post to act for the people of Northern Ireland.

That means no Ministers to deliver the public services you rely on.  That means no Ministers to manage the budget pressures affecting the funding of your hospitals, your schools, your doctors and nurses.

So in the absence of an Executive I will take limited but necessary steps to protect public finances and the delivery of public services.

I have already met the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, to discuss this and gather evidence on the state of Stormont’s financial position. I shall hopefully receive more detailed information about this next week.

Then I’ll soon outline our plan of action to make sure that the interests of the people of Northern Ireland are protected.

And to those who have called for “joint authority” of Northern Ireland in recent days, let me say this: this won’t be considered.

The UK Government is absolutely clear that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. We will not support any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle.

Citizens’ Panel on Public Participation to meet in the Scottish Parliament

A newly established Citizens’ Panel will meet for the first time this weekend (28th – 30th October) in the Scottish Parliament to help shape how Parliament engages with the people of Scotland.

The Citizens’ Panel, comprised of 22 people broadly reflecting the demographic make-up of Scotland, will come together to deliberate how the Scottish Parliament can best work with communities to ensure their needs are reflected in its work.

The Citizens’ Panel will meet for two full weekends at the Scottish Parliament and three shorter evening sessions online.

Earlier this year, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee launched an inquiry into Public Participation, looking at how people’s voices are heard in the work of the Parliament.

The Citizens’ Panel will assist the inquiry by making recommendations on improving how Holyrood’s work involves, reflects, and meets the needs of the full range of communities it represents, focusing on improving engagement for those currently under-represented.

Throughout the sittings, the Citizen’s Panel will have the opportunity to hear from MSPs and leading academics about democracy and public participation to help facilitate discussion and inform their findings.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Convener Jackson Carlaw, MSP, said: “Our inquiry into Public Participation is important because we know that the Parliament doesn’t hear enough from some groups and communities.

“We want to make sure that the views and opinions of everyone in Scotland are included in the work of the Parliament, and the Citizens’ Panel will be crucial to helping us understand how we can improve this.

“Ensuring the Scottish Parliament is accessible to a diverse range of people, particularly when developing new laws or policies that affect them, is essential and the Committee will eagerly anticipate the Citizens’ Panel recommendations.”

Consumers ‘at risk’ if Digital Markets Unit not given teeth, say MPs

A new report by Westminster’s influential Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has urged the Government to publish a draft Digital Markets Bill that would help deter predatory practices by big tech firms ‘without delay’.

Proposals for a Digital Markets Competition and Consumer Bill were trailed by the Government in the Queen’s Speech. It announced measures that would empower the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Digital Markets Unit (DMU) to rein in abusive tech giants by dropping the turnover threshold for immunity from financial penalties from £50 million to £20 million, and hiking potential maximum fines to 10% of global annual income.

The Committee concluded that fines have been viewed as ‘a small business cost’ by large companies, adding that there is ‘strong evidence of abuses of market dominance’ within digital markets. It warned that ‘consumers and others are at risk’ until a Bill is published and passed.

BEIS Committee Chair Darren Jones said: “The Competition, Consumer and Digital Markets Bill has wide support and should be prioritised, especially given the difficulty the Government currently has at passing other laws which are more controversial.

“There are many areas in the economy where stronger competition is required in the interests of consumers, small business and economic growth and this bill is an essential stepping stone to driving this issue forward.”

The report also called on the Government to ‘end [the] uncertainty’ caused by its failure to publish final guidance on the post-Brexit subsidy control regime, which the Committee found had left subsidy awarding bodies ‘in limbo’. The guidance needs to be published as soon as possible, MPs said.

Passed in April, and due to come into full force in early January, the Subsidy Control Act omits key details of the regime for public authorities to follow when awarding money. These gaps are due to be filled in by final guidance, which authorities will need if they are to have confidence when preparing bids for funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund. The Fund is a replacement for money formerly awarded through EU structural funding.

Mr Jones added: “The Government promised to replace previous EU funding into projects across the country as part of its Brexit and levelling up offers to the public. This has not yet been delivered and without full guidance and proper financing of the new subsidy schemes, funds that help deliver projects will be further delayed. 

“The public will no doubt be disappointed to have not yet seen the so called ‘Brexit opportunities’ that were promised to level up their local community.”

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Rishi Sunak: “I will earn your trust”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s statement on the steps of Downing Street

Good morning, I have just been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty The King’s invitation to form a government in his name.

It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new Prime Minister.

Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. 

The aftermath of Covid still lingers. 

Putin’s war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over.

I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss, she was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country, it is a noble aim. 

And I admired her restlessness to create change.

But some mistakes were made. 

Not borne of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless. 

And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your Prime Minister, in part, to fix them.

And that work begins immediately.

I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. 

This will mean difficult decisions to come.

But you saw me during Covid, doing everything I could, to protect people and businesses, with schemes like furlough.

There are always limits, more so now than ever, but I promise you this

I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today.

The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves. 

I will unite our country, not with words, but with action. 

I will work day in and day out to deliver for you.

This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.

Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.

I will always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as Prime Minister, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit.

And I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual, it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us.

And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto.

I will deliver on its promise.

A stronger NHS.

Better schools.

Safer streets.

Control of our borders.

Protecting our environment.

Supporting our armed forces.

Levelling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate, and create jobs.

I understand how difficult this moment is.

After the billions of pounds it cost us to combat Covid, after all the dislocation that caused in the midst of a terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions I fully appreciate how hard things are.

And I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened.

All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands.

But when the opportunity to serve comes along, you cannot question the moment, only your willingness.

So I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future. 

To put your needs above politics.

To reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party.

Together we can achieve incredible things.

We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter with hope.

Thank you.

Liz Truss leaves without saying sorry

Liz Truss has given her final speech as Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street:

It has been a huge honour to be Prime Minister of this great country.

In particular, to lead the nation in mourning the death of Her Late Majesty The Queen after 70 years of service,

and welcoming the accession of His Majesty King Charles III.

In just a short period, this government has acted urgently and decisively on the side of hardworking families and businesses.

We reversed the National Insurance increase.

We helped millions of households with their energy bills and helped thousands of businesses avoid bankruptcy.

We are taking back our energy independence…

…so we are never again beholden to global market fluctuations or malign foreign powers.

From my time as Prime Minister, I am more convinced than ever we need to be bold and confront the challenges that we face.

As the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”

We simply cannot afford to be a low growth country where the government takes up an increasing share of our national wealth…

and where there are huge divides between different parts of our country.

We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently.

This means delivering more freedom for our own citizens and restoring power in democratic institutions.

It means lower taxes, so people keep more of the money they earn.

It means delivering growth that will lead to more job security, higher wages and greater opportunities for our children and grandchildren.

Democracies must be able to deliver for their own people…

We must be able to outcompete autocratic regimes, where power lies in the hands of a few.

And now more than ever we must support Ukraine in their brave fight against Putin’s aggression.

Ukraine must prevail.

And we must continue to strengthen our nation’s defences.

That is what I have been striving to achieve… and I wish Rishi Sunak every success, for the good of our country.

I want to thank Hugh, Frances, Liberty, my family and friends, and all the team at No10 for their love, friendship and support.

I also want to thank my protection team.

I look forward to spending more time in my constituency, and continuing to serve South West Norfolk from the backbenches.

Our country continues to battle through a storm.

But I believe in Britain.

I believe in the British people.

And I know that brighter days lie ahead.

Small Mercies: Serial liar withdraws from Tory leadership race (following another lie about numbers)

FORMER Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued the following statement last night:

Johnson’s final acceptance that the anticipated support just isn’t there for him clears the way for a run-off between hot favourite Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt – but only if the latter can attract enough votes among her fellow Tory MPs. That’s looking increasingly unlikely.

If she can’t reach the 100 vote target, we can look forward to the anointing of Rishi Sunak as our new Prime Minister, with the Tory party membership having no say.

Contest or coronation? We’ll know at 2pm.

Weekly update … and what a week!

Monday morning seems like an age ago, and the political circus is likely to continue into next week (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE).

On Monday, the new chancellor undid pretty much every tax measure in the ex-Chancellor and soon-to-be ex-PM’s “mini”-budget. Only those already legislated for will proceed (the scrapping of the health and social care levy and the stamp duty cuts in England will still happen).

Although the PM has resigned, it still looks like the Fiscal Plan will be presented on 31st October, which is an interesting political situation given that presumably means that Jeremy Hunt will remain as Chancellor whoever wins the leadership election over the next week. But perhaps the last wee while has taught us that presuming anything is foolish!

For Scotland, the extra funding that was going to be generated by these tax measures for the Scottish Budget has now largely disappeared, with only the stamp duty reductions generating additional funding for Scotland.

This presents significant challenges for the Deputy First Minister in managing an already very stretched budget.

Economic Case for Independence published

Somewhat overshadowed by events at Westminster, the Scottish Government published the third in their series of papers to set out a new case for independence on Monday. This paper, “A stronger economy with independence” was expected to set out the economic case, covering issues such as currency, trade, and public sector finances.

We published analysis of the paper on Monday – and look out for our Guide to the Economics of Independence which we’ll be publishing soon and updating as more information is released by the Scottish Government.

Inflation goes back above 10%

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published September inflation data, which showed that CPI inflation had gone back into double digits, running at 10.1%.

Underneath the headline rate, food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation is now estimated to be 13.1%. There was a slight downward pressure from motor fuels, as the prices at the pumps fall back from the peaks they reached in July.

These data still do not capture the energy price rises households are now experiencing as of 1st October, so expect there to be further increases in the rate when that data is published next month.

Interestingly (well, if you are interested in economic statistics, come on!) it may be that the change in the way the government is supporting households on energy may change the outlook for inflation. If, as is expected, the help after April is more targeted as cash transfers to those households most in need, then this will not put downward pressure on the actual price of energy.

We’ll be looking out for the OBR and Bank of England’s (3rd November) view on the pathway for inflation given these changes.

New Public Sector Finance Data published this morning (Friday)

ONS have also put out the latest public sector finances release, which contains public finance statistics (including deficit and debt) up to September 2022.

These have the first statistics on revenue generated by the Energy Profits Levy, which shows that £2.7 billion was generated from this tax in the year to date. It will be interesting to get the OBR’s independent view of the likely take from this tax over the next few years – and obviously to see if the Chancellor chooses to extend this in some way in the Fiscal Statement.

More broadly, it contains up-to-date statistics on the size of the UK National Debt. Debt has reached £2.5 trillion, which is equivalent to 98% of GDP – levels not seen since the 1960s.

This reminds us of the challenging fiscal environment, which sets the backdrop for the statement by the Chancellor in 10 days time.

No confirmation on the Scottish Government’s Emergency Budget Review 

As we write this, we have no confirmation whether the Scottish Government’s Emergency Budget Review (EBR) will go ahead next week, as previously indicated.

Remember, this review is to look at in-year (2022-23) spending to balance the budget in the face of higher than expected (at the time of the last budget) inflationary pressures, particularly in relation to the public sector pay bill.

We wrote yesterday about employability support, one of the areas that John Swinney has already indicated will be cut. A number of questions remain to be answered. and we hope the EBR will be clear in laying out the evidence considered when deciding where the axe will fall.

The response to whatever is set out by the UK Chancellor on the 31st October will come in the Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2023-24 on the 15th December. For fiscal fans, the fun is due to continue for some months yet!