Scotland’s Economy

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 15th October 2024 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. People may ask why I have chosen to speak on this matter, but the phrase “a rising tide lifts all ships” applies to the links between the economy of Northern Ireland and that of our Gaelic cousins across the sea in Scotland.

Let me first put on the record my sympathies to the family of Alex Salmond. This is the first Scottish debate we have had since his passing, although we expressed our condolences in the Chamber yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

The links between Northern Ireland and Scotland are not simply cultural, although those links are displayed by the numerous Scots bands at the 12 July celebrations and in our shared love of pipe band championships, our shared love of poetry and our shared language, with our Ulster Scots. It is not simply that my Scots brethren and sisters in this House will know what I mean when I call someone sleekit or a gern—by the way, just for the record, there is nobody here who is sleekit or a gern.

We are awaiting an Ofgem decision on whether Northern Ireland electricity can be sourced from Scotland. The scheme would involve building two converter stations—one in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland—and a cable of about 80 miles, depending on the final route, linking the two. That would be a physical manifestation of the trade that takes place between the two nations, Northern Ireland and Scotland, on a daily basis.

One of my staff members is allergic to a number of antibiotics. After the birth of her second child, she needed a particular antibiotic and was told there were none in Northern Ireland. A phone call from the local pharmacy, Andersons in Newtownards, to a small pharmacy in Scotland meant that she had a prescription in the morning, and by the afternoon the antibiotic was with her. The links and the pathways are there, and so too is the friendship.

This can be seen in the fight for our fishing fleet, which Members in this Chamber who long for Scottish independence and I—someone who fought for the Union—came together to win for the Scottish and Northern Ireland fishing fleets. Those are battles that we will continue to fight and win. My hon. Friend the Member for East Londonderry (Mr Gregory Campbell) recently highlighted during oral questions the need to strengthen the economic trade between Northern Ireland and Scotland, and that is certainly something that would help us all.

In conclusion, I support my Scottish brethren and sisters in their quest to secure more—more fishing rights, more manufacturing rights, and more investment in renewable energy and all the potential that is not fully realised in Scotland. I do so not to underline a theory that Scotland can stand alone, but because we are stronger when we stand together, and because the ties that bind are enhanced when we work as one body for the benefit of all in this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

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[Martin McCluskey (Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure, Mr Dowd, to serve under your chairmanship and speak on behalf of the Government for the first time. I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (John Grady) on securing this debate on Scotland’s economy and congratulating all hon. Members on their contributions.

We have heard a lot about the positives and the potential of Scotland’s economy, such as the strength of Brand Scotland and our thriving biosciences sector; we have even heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan) about our thriving film and TV sector. I am sure the crowds here today are just as great as that which turned out to welcome Colin Firth to Bathgate. However, we have also heard about the problems in the Scottish economy, and it is no secret that—along with the UK economy as a whole—it is underperforming. This has been identified by many Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Gregor Poynton) and the hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray).

Fourteen years of mismanagement by the previous Government has resulted in persistently low levels of investment, poor productivity growth and rising inequality. That has led to this Government facing the worst economic inheritance since the second world war—a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. The Treasury reserves were spent three times over in three months, which is absolutely astonishing, and financial commitments were made by the previous Government that they knew they could not keep. That inheritance means tough decisions for the Government, but it is better to be honest and up front with people about the choices that we face. That is why my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will set out in her budget how we will fix the foundations of our economy so that we can tackle poverty, rebuild our public services and begin a decade of national renewal.

The economic inheritance we face is not just fiscal. It is also structural. My right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor have made clear that the No. 1 priority of this Government is growth. To achieve that, the foundations of Scotland’s industrial economy need to change significantly. That is why we published our industrial strategy Green Paper yesterday. We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for East Kilbride and Strathaven (Joani Reid) about the importance of industrial strategy, and how it is not just dry, but something that really makes an impact on people’s lives.

[Jim Shannon]

I wish the hon. Member well, and hope that things go according to his plans and all our plans. In my contribution, I mentioned the interconnector between Scotland and Northern Ireland as a potential way to reduce energy and help us to grow together economically. I know he may not be able to respond to that point now, but perhaps he could come back to me at a later date. If so, I thank him.

[Martin McCluskey]

I thank the hon Member for his intervention, and for the points he made about the importance of working together—not just between the UK and Scottish Governments, but across these islands. I will ensure that officials write to him on that point.

Our industrial strategy calls time on short-term economic policy making, and establishes a UK industrial council on a statutory footing, to provide expert advice and long-term thinking.