THE General Election result was very disappointing for the Scottish National Party. There is no escaping that reality.
During the campaign, I had the privilege of spending time with our SNP candidates and activists working tirelessly across the country. I saw first-hand the enormous effort and collective drive to achieve an SNP win in every single constituency in Scotland.
I believe we fought a vibrant and positive campaign, and that is thanks to our hard-working members. I am truly grateful to every one of our activists for their efforts.
Ultimately, it was not enough and too many MPs lost their seats and too many candidates did not have the opportunity to serve their constituents in the House of Commons. I am especially sorry for the direct and immediate impact this has on MPs’ staff who put in a shift to ensure their member can serve to the best of their ability.
Of course, I want to congratulate our nine MPs who were elected, and I look forward to working closely with them, and our SNP leader at Westminster Stephen Flynn, in the coming weeks and months.
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As a party, and as a movement, we must reflect on the message voters in Scotland sent us on July 4.
The urgency of getting rid of the out-of-touch UK Tory government was pressing to the people of Scotland. That endeavour was of course fruitful, and the Tories have left Downing Street, not a moment too soon. Thank goodness.
We all have a responsibility to listen to the electorate and learn from their views. This is especially important for those of us in senior positions within the Scottish National Party.
In government, my colleagues and I around the Cabinet table have a duty to regain and re-earn the trust of the Scottish electorate before the 2026 Holyrood election. We must deliver for the people of Scotland in everything we do.
That means growing the economy, tackling the cost of living crisis, facing down child poverty, improving our public services and taking bold action on the climate crisis.
As Scotland’s Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, I have been getting on with the job of delivering for Scotland. Scotland’s economy is performing well thanks to decisions we have made in Holyrood to counter the low-growth Brexit-based economic model adopted in recent years by Westminster.
Just last week, new analysis found that a record number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects were secured in 2023 in Scotland. According to EY’s annual independent analysis of inward investment, 142 FDI projects were secured last year, an increase of 12.7% on 2022 and double the rate of growth experienced across the UK.
Attracting inward investment is critical to economic growth and driving forward strategic objectives in key sectors.
These results show a record performance, with Scotland once again outpacing the UK as a whole and the European Union when it comes to securing FDI projects, delivering on the actions and priorities we have set out in government.
I want to go further in unlocking that economic potential and breed confidence within the business community that Scotland is a great place to work – regardless of your background.
That’s why the SNP government, Scotland’s government, announced more than £2.5 million of investment this week in initiatives to make it easier for women and people from all backgrounds to start a business.
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They include a pilot programme, launching initially in the south of Scotland, which will fund specialist enterprise coaches to provide a range of tailored advice and guidance to help individuals – particularly women and other under-represented groups – kickstart new businesses.
Economic growth is one of the key priorities of the Scottish Government. Scotland has all the ingredients to be one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies; one that is strong, successful and dynamic. Entrepreneurship is at the very heart of this.
I am clear that the Scottish Government will play a prominent role in helping to build the end-to-end support our start-up business community needs to develop and grow.
This investment package from the SNP government for new entrepreneurs will help ensure everyone, from every walk of life, is given the right support and encouragement to make their business idea a reality.
That’s just some of the actions we are taking, right now, to build a better Scotland. It’s no secret that the relationship between Whitehall and Holyrood was strained under Johnson, Truss and Sunak.
But that doesn’t work in Scotland’s interests and I believe the people of Scotland, especially those in business, want to see more collaboration and joined-up working between the UK and Scottish governments.
I was pleased to see Keir Starmer start the work of repairing the vital relationship between our governments. This willingness to work collaboratively has been absent for too long in intergovernmental relations, and this change of approach is an opportunity for Scotland.
The coming months and years will tell us whether this opportunity is one that Labour truly wish to grasp with both hands. I earnestly hope we see real change and a marked difference from what has come before.
But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
And be in no doubt, SNP MPs stand ready and willing to hold this UK Labour government to account if their actions do not match their words. We’ve seen the importance of this already following Labour’s continued refusal to scrap the two-child benefits cap.
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I believe we have a shared desire to unlock more of Scotland’s potential. We know what our businesses and our entrepreneurs are capable of, but we must both play our part if they are to realise their full potential.
The issues we face together as a nation are too serious for political point-scoring between Holyrood and Whitehall.
We must deliver for the people of Scotland today, so we can reach our full potential tomorrow.
The message sent to us from the people of Scotland on July 4 is that they expect more from the Scottish National Party. The task is clear, now we must deliver.
Rest assured the SNP Scottish Government will be focused on delivering for you, the people of Scotland, whatever it takes.
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