Scotland

Lord Browne of Ladyton Excerpts
Monday 4th November 2024

(1 day, 23 hours ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Smith of Basildon Portrait Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)
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My Lords, if the noble Lord checks back to past Budgets, I think he will find that previous Chancellors from his side of the House put more of an increase on Scotch whisky, whereas this was an increase in line with RPI. If he looks at the Budget overall, he will see that the amount awarded to Scotland is actually significantly greater than at any other time since devolution.

Lord Browne of Ladyton Portrait Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab)
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My Lords, under this Government’s predecessor, with the SNP in government in Scotland, the relationship between Holyrood and Westminster was at best uneasy and too often characterised by mutual suspicion and sometimes open acrimony. Given Labour’s record on devolution, what lessons have been drawn from last month’s inaugural meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions on resetting the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments, which of course is a manifesto pledge?