Oral Answers to Questions

Harriet Cross Excerpts

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ian Murray]

Sorry, Mr Speaker. I lost the thread of that question about halfway through, but one thing I did take from it is that it was absolutely identical to the question from the Tory shadow Secretary of State. That tells you all you need to know.

[Harriet Cross (Gordon and Buchan) (Con)]

4. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer national insurance contributions on levels of employment in Scotland.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)]

Economic growth is the Government’s No. 1 mission. These changes to national insurance contributions are being made in the context of a resilient labour market, with the estimated employment rate up 0.9 percentage points over the last quarter of 2024. We are creating jobs and opportunities through our plan for change and truly making work pay, to help raise living standards right across the UK.

[Harriet Cross]

The Labour Government’s decision to hike national insurance is a cost on businesses before they even open their doors. I have spoken to many businesses across my constituency in recent months, and all have said how worried they are about the changes. In response to my recent business survey, one large business said that it is now looking to cut up to 25 jobs because of the NICs changes, and that it is beyond belief that the Labour Government have decided to do this. Given that this example will be replicated in constituencies across Scotland, including the Minister’s, can she really stand at the Dispatch Box and say she believes in this policy, which so directly hits jobs, employment and growth across Scotland?

[Kirsty McNeill]

I do believe in this policy, in the same way I believe in all the announcements we made in the Budget. As is so often the case with Conservative Members, they will the ends of the Budget but not the means. If the hon. Lady wants changes to the public services that people in both our constituencies rely on, we need to have the revenue to pay for them. That is what this Budget was all about: cleaning up the mess we inherited and getting the investment into public services that is so desperately required.