St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs

Kirsty McNeill Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

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

I would like to begin by taking the opportunity to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for securing this debate. I thank him, the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) and my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) for the very interesting history lessons they gave us today, from which I learned a great deal. It is fitting that we are holding this debate to mark St Andrew’s day—even if it is slightly after the date itself. Let me take the opportunity to thank all Members across the House and wish them a very happy, albeit belated, St Andrew’s day.

The occasion remains important, as it invites people across Scotland, the United Kingdom, and indeed the world, to reflect on Scotland’s heritage and contribution to our collective UK story. Scotland has always punched above its weight, and it is right that we take this moment to celebrate what our nation contributes to the world. We are, as we have heard often today, a nation that helped to lead the industrial revolution. We have long been a world leader in engineering, philosophy, science and medicine, and we continue proudly to be a key contributor to Scotland and the UK’s defence capability.

Our contribution is woven into the fabric of global progress too. In recent years, we have added new chapters to that story—from advances in renewable energy and medical research to the cultural and creative excellence that resonates far beyond our borders. Our world-class universities are advancing innovation in quantum, clean energy and life sciences, and this Labour Government continue to support them. Indeed, in June we invested £750 million in the UK’s largest supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh—headquartered, of course, in Midlothian—which has so often been at the forefront of scientific progress.

We have achievements on the world stage that speak to our spirit and resilience. Honestly, I cannot believe it took until the contribution from my hon. Friend the Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker) for it to be mentioned in this House that Scotland has, of course, qualified for the world cup. We are also, with Glasgow, hosting the Commonwealth games next summer and will be in a position to showcase not only our sporting ambition but our ability to welcome the world with warmth and confidence.

However, our accomplishments should not be measured only in medals and milestones; they should be measured, as for all Governments, in the lives that we change. We secured places in Scotland for Afghan women medical students whose futures were thrown into uncertainty. By opening our doors, we offered not just education, but hope and dignity.

As we look outward, Scotland is strengthening its place in the global economy. Labour’s trade deal with India is set to grow the Scottish economy by £190 million every year, in a transformative partnership that opens new markets for our businesses and deepens our ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Together, those achievements tell a powerful story: Scotland is a nation that leads, welcomes and builds. It is in that spirit that I welcome today’s debate.

My hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar began the debate by paying tribute to working men’s clubs, institutes and miners’ welfare. I am delighted that he did so, because it gives us a chance to reflect on the fact that not only do we belong to those kinds of institutions, but they belong to us. They are theatres of self-help and community power, which is exactly what this Labour Government’s Pride in Place programme is all about.

The hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Andrew Bowie) and I do not agree on much these days, but we do agree on this: Scotland has too long been troubled by division. I suspect our remedies for that division would differ, but I believe that we need a new direction with a Government focused resolutely on public services and growth—a new direction offered by Anas Sarwar.

The hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray) talked about the ferry fiasco and how terrible it was for islanders. That is true, but it also speaks more widely to a deep sickness at the heart of a Scottish Government who are much more interested in announcements than achievements. The hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway (John Cooper) suggested that this Government are sending money to the Scottish Government without worrying very much about what will happen to it. I can assure him that, on the £11 billion that has been sent to the Scottish Government as a result of this Labour Government’s decisions, we will be watching like hawks. That money is intended to be spent on Scotland’s public services and Scotland’s communities, and if it is not, we Scots will ask, “Where’s the money gone, John?”

The hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Stephen Gethins) asked us to comment on the Government’s commitment to devolution, and I am pleased to reassure him too. Devolution is not simply a destination and it is not even a process; it is, to my mind, a habit of mind that the Scottish Government have simply never acquired because they are obsessed with centralising inside Scotland and talking about what powers will come to Scotland and not what powers will be distributed inside Scotland to communities, where they belong.

My hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) and the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) talked about how, despite the very best efforts of our NHS staff, the state of Scotland’s NHS should shame us all. I can refer to stories in Midlothian too, which are similar to those that have been mentioned on the Floor today: one person waiting 120 weeks on a CAMHS waiting list; parents talking about the fact that they had been referred to an urgent ear, nose and throat waiting list, but will still be on that list for two to three years with a child in pain; and a woman in excruciating pain who has been waiting for a gynaecology appointment since the start of the year. What is the answer to that from the SNP? It is simply, “Look at England.” That is of no comfort at all to any of our constituents, and I suspect that that complacency will be roundly rejected in May.

My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), who chairs the Scottish Affairs Committee, whose work I commend, talked with great passion about how, as Scotland, we have to forge a place where people can come together, and although we might not agree on everything, we have to find ways to agree about more.

My hon. Friends the Members for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) and for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan) gave moving tributes to the extraordinary community groups in their constituencies, which I was delighted to hear about. Some of them I have visited and I look forward to learning more about others. My hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter) paid a moving tribute to the children of Ukraine. I know we all commend her for the work she is doing to see their safe return.

From many Members across the House, we have rightly heard commendations of lots of Scottish laddies. I want to even it up a little and put on the record some commendations for Scottish women. We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar about Queen Margaret, but I am sure the House will join me in paying tribute to Jane Haining, recognised as “Righteous Among the Nations” in the Holocaust and most recently commemorated in Edinburgh; to Mary Barbour, who showed that when working-class women come to fight for working-class women, there is nothing they cannot achieve; to Jennie Lee, without whom we would have no Open University; and to Mary Somerville, whose achievements were quite literally astronomical.

As we come to the end of the debate, and indeed the end of the year, it is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved together across this House. From the Labour perspective, we are proud of our local growth programme, which will deliver real, visible benefits for communities right across Scotland. The Pride in Place programme and impact fund will see up to £292 million invested in regenerating Scottish communities, which will transform neighbourhoods across Scotland. That funding will revitalise our high streets and town centres. It will create jobs, boost productivity and improve safety, security and connectivity. Local communities are at the very heart of Scottish life, and the Scotland Office is proud to back them.

[David Mundell]

In her eloquent description of the importance of cross-border economic activity, the hon. Lady referred to Borderlands, which in many ways was a precursor to Pride in Place. Like her, I feel that the Borderlands initiative needs a bit more oomph behind it, so will she commit the Scotland Office to providing that oomph?

[Kirsty McNeill]

I am always delighted to commit to oomph and would be delighted to meet all relevant MPs from the Borderlands growth deal, to which I know the right hon. Member is very committed. I am following it closely.

Our Brand Scotland effort promotes Scotland’s exports, culture and global reputation. We fund a range of initiatives, including delivering trade missions to key markets and supporting our overseas network to undertake Scotland-specific promotional activity. We have delivered a number of successful ministerial visits—to Norway, Japan, Spain, Washington DC and New York—and we recently supported a major trade mission to Shanghai by Glasgow city chamber of commerce.

We are seeing the results of having a UK Government with Scotland at their beating heart. The Budget provided an extra £820 million for the Scottish Government. That means that since the general election the Scottish Government have received an additional £11 billion. We have announced £14.5 million to back Grangemouth’s transition to a hub for low-carbon technologies, and a further £20 million for Inchgreen near Greenock, which will upgrade the port’s dry dock; £20 million has been found to support the regeneration of Kirkcaldy’s town centre and seafront; and £25 million will be released following the full sign-off of the Forth Green freeport.

All in all, the UK Government will be investing more than £2 billion in local and regional growth programmes in Scotland. That is alongside the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation, with a pay rise for 200,000 of the lowest-paid Scots. We also focused on ensuring job security for 350 skilled workers at Harland & Wolff shipyards in Methil and at Arnish. We have secured a deal worth £10 billion to supply Norway with Type 26 frigates, securing 2,000 jobs in Scotland until the late 2030s. Of course, we did not stop there. We are firmly committed to tackling child poverty, having removed the two-child cap, which will change the futures of 95,000 Scottish children.

As we mark St Andrew’s day—a moment when we celebrate Scotland’s history, identity and shared values—we are reminded of the strength that we can draw from solidarity across these islands. Yes, we have deep pride in being Scottish, but it is pride with a purpose, because if we remain focused on our common purposes of stronger growth, fairer opportunities and resilient communities, Scotland will not simply be part of the UK’s prosperity; it will be at the very heart of it.