Promoting Scottish Interests Abroad

2. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote Scottish interests abroad.

10. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote Scottish interests abroad.

I call the Secretary of State—you’re going to be busy.

The Government are harnessing the worldwide reach of our diplomatic and trade networks to boost Scottish exports and attract inward investment. We have already delivered deals with India and the United States. I was recently in New Zealand and Australia on a defence-focused visit, meeting with key investors and banging the drum for our world-leading shipbuilding capability. As we speak, the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, my hon. Friend the Member for Midlothian (Kirsty McNeill), is leading a trade mission to China promoting Scottish tech innovation and expertise, along with Glasgow chamber of commerce and representatives from five Scottish cities, including Glasgow.

Most Scottish interests abroad this weekend will be centred on Boston, and if the Secretary of State is considering a last-minute bid for the world cup, he can fly there from Glasgow this weekend for just £740. That is just £100 more than it would cost my constituents to fly from Stornoway to Glasgow this weekend without the air discount. The rising cost of Loganair flights and the loss of the Stornoway-Inverness morning service is of great concern in the western isles, and we have already lost the Benbecula connection, with all the consequences that has. Will the Secretary of State work with Cabinet colleagues, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport—when he returns from his jaunt to America—and others in the industry to review flights across the UK?

Order. I think the Secretary of State must have got the gist of the “War and Peace” question.

First, I am sure that every Scottish representative, whatever their political affiliation, will want to wish Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson and the boys the very best in Boston. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] Let’s hope they don’t come home too soon.

My hon. Friend raises a substantive and important point about island connectivity, particularly given the woeful, abject failure of the Scottish National party-led Government in Edinburgh in relation to the ferry service. The First Minister recently visited the western isles, and the ferry subsequently broke down; in a sense, that tells us everything we need to know about the Scottish Government’s record. The Minister for Aviation should be happy to pick up this issue with my hon. Friend to discuss what more can be done.

Given Scotland’s significant assets in a variety of sectors, what steps is the Secretary of State taking with ministerial colleagues to ensure that city regions such as Glasgow are not only attracting inward investment, but exporting their world-leading strengths in technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing to key international markets?

One of the regrettable aspects of the SNP-led Scottish Government’s record has been their failure to fully harness the capability of city regions and the economic contribution they can make. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is in China along with Glasgow chamber of commerce and representatives from Glasgow and four other cities. At the moment, they are focused on a trade mission to the Shanghai international technology fair, specifically to champion the region’s world-renowned strengths in technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Scotland exports 10 to 12 times more electricity than it needs. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is doing a review of community benefits, and we are very concerned that that review will produce a poor outcome for the people of rural Scotland. Could the Secretary of State make representations on that?

I am always happy to make representations to colleagues within Government—of course, the Energy Minister is a fellow Scot, representing a Scottish constituency. I know this has been a matter of long-standing concern for the hon. Gentleman, and if he wants to write to me, I will make sure I take it up with the Energy Minister.

When it comes to representing Scotland’s interests abroad, football is right up there. My constituent, Mr Kenny Smith, has shelled out well over £10,000 on booking his tickets to go to the States. He had visa clearance—he actually had UK security clearance, which is pretty high powered—yet last Wednesday, his visa was revoked. This poor chap is in a very bad situation, so can I appeal to the Secretary of State to give Mr Smith and me any assistance that he can provide to sort this out?

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his concern. I can assure him that on Monday morning, from my desk in the Scotland Office, I met officials from the Foreign Office when I first had word that there were concerns about the electronic system for travel authorisation and the visa requirements. On Monday afternoon, I met the Minister for North America in the Foreign Office to raise this concern. Of course, the Foreign Office was at pains to recognise that visa and entry requirements are a matter for the country concerned—in this case, the United States—but it has already made representations on cases such as that of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent, and will continue to do so. If the hon. Gentleman is happy to share the details after today’s discussion, I will immediately take this matter up with the Foreign Office.

I call Dave Doogan, and welcome him to his new position.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. When the Secretary of State first took up his job in government, his first priority should have been advancing the economic interests of Scotland across the world, but we now know what he was really up to instead. His first external meeting as Scotland Secretary and as a Minister was to meet Global Counsel, Peter Mandelson’s international lobbying fund, and he conveniently forgot to declare that meeting for a year and a half. Was that meeting a function of official advice from civil servants in his Department, or is it just the case that when Peter Mandelson says “Jump”, Ministers like him say “How high?”?

The hon. Gentleman is going to have to do better than that. That was a meeting facilitated, attended and minuted by officials in the Department for Business and Trade. If he were actually aware, he would know that the Prime Minister has already stated that I have “acted appropriately” and no further action is needed, notwithstanding the hon. Gentleman’s attempts.

When it comes to propriety and ethics, SNP Members might want to look a bit closer to home before they criticise us. Recalling the evidence carefully, and mindful of the direction of Mr Speaker, if they do look closer to home, they will find three coffee machines, seven games consoles, a motorhome, and some extremely expensive salt and pepper dishes. [Hon. Members: “More!”]

On the case of Peter Mandelson, the Secretary of State expects—[Interruption.]—

Order. We have just had “The Generation Game” played.

On the case of Peter Mandelson, the Secretary of State says, “I’m in the clear because the Prime Minister says so.” The Prime Minister is also up to his neck in the Peter Mandelson scandal, so that is no clean bill of health at all. We saw just this week a stream of gushing—nauseating, actually—messages between Peter Mandelson and the Secretary of State.

How are we to believe that the Secretary of State for Scotland is doing anything in the interests of the people of Scotland when two of his own Labour MPs this week described him as the “most absent” man in the UK Cabinet? What does it say about him that the only person who thinks he is any use is his pal Peter Mandelson?