Relations with Scottish Government

1. What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the effectiveness of their relationship with the UK Government.

The UK Government are working closely with the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland. Since taking office, we have provided the Scottish Government with a record budget settlement, reversing austerity and years of underfunding and ensuring that communities get the support they deserve. I met the Deputy First Minister earlier this month. Labour, as the party of devolution, is already delivering an extra £11 billion for the Scottish Government’s budget, £120 million of investment for Grangemouth and a defence dividend for Rosyth and Faslane.

One example of what might politely be called ineffective relations between the Scottish and UK Governments concerns bovine electronic identification, where instead of agreeing to adopt the same radio frequency as the rest of the UK and Europe, the Scottish Government have chosen to use a high-frequency spectrum. The implications for the UK’s largest auction mart, in my constituency, will be a doubling of costs, as it has to invest in two types of scanner. Will the Secretary of State press the Office for the Internal Market to look in detail at how auction houses and hauliers such as those in my constituency will be placed at a competitive disadvantage thanks to the SNP Government?

My hon. Friend raises an important point for not just her constituents but many others. Although animal health is a devolved responsibility, I am troubled—although not altogether surprised—to learn that the Scottish Government have chosen to diverge from the approach taken across the rest of the UK and indeed in Europe, with all the consequent difficulties she describes. The Office for the Internal Market produced a report on this issue in 2025 and recognised that some businesses, such as larger livestock auctions, could face higher costs if the system were not managed well. My hon. Friend can none the less be assured that the UK Government at least remain committed to seamless trade within the United Kingdom.

I begin by paying tribute to the former Scottish Cabinet Secretary Jeane Freeman, who sadly passed away this month. I dealt extensively with Jeane in the implementation of the Scotland Act 2016 and always found her very professional and personable. I also hope that the Secretary of State’s visit to New Zealand was particularly successful, although it did seem an extremely long way to go just to avoid Anas Sarwar.

The Secretary of State may be aware that there is a very successful HIV testing programme in England in HIV testing week. Could he make representations to the Scottish Government so that not only is there an HIV testing week in Scotland, but, radically, it is the same week as in England, so that it could benefit from national focus?

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the characteristic grace and generosity with which he asked his question. I can assure him that it was a long-planned trip to establish relations, which, frankly, should have been established some time ago by the Government in which he served. We are none the less very proud of our defence relationship with New Zealand, and I look forward to being with Anas in Paisley on Friday.

On the substance of the right hon. Gentleman’s question, I commend him for his advocacy over many years. The UK Government recently launched an HIV action plan for England with the aim of ending new HIV transmissions by the end of the decade, and our recent HIV testing week has helped to build public knowledge and understanding so that we can reconnect thousands with the healthcare they need, reduce stigma and, crucially, identify undiagnosed cases. While healthcare is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, we support any initiatives that ensure that people across the United Kingdom get the testing they need.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Transport in Scotland is devolved, but Labour’s new electric vehicle tax is not. Scotland is home to the largest constituencies by area in the UK. This will mean that many rural Scots, who already pay more for electricity at home, will pay more tax despite having less access to charging infrastructure. Can the Secretary of State say what discussions have been had with the Scottish Government on the impact of this tax and whether the Government will work with the Scottish Government to improve charging access and create a mandatory community benefit scheme for those who see the turbines of the green revolution from their windows, but not a fair reflection in their bills?

Many of us know, from the experience of family, friends and others, about the difficulty of many charging stations across Scotland, which causes the range anxiety of which the hon. Lady speaks, particularly in rural areas. The new electric vehicle excise duty introduces a fairer approach to sharing the costs generated by all vehicle drivers through wear and tear on roads and congestion.

As a former Transport Secretary, I know that, as we transition to electric vehicles, it is necessary to look at the appropriate taxation of electric vehicles. While those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those who live in urban areas, EV drivers are also more likely to have a dedicated home charger, which allows access to the lowest charging costs, thereby ensuring that EVs remain the cheaper, greener choice. None the less, I assure the hon. Lady that we talk to the Scottish Government on a range of issues.

I call the SNP spokesperson.

I associate myself with the comments from other colleagues about the sad loss of Jeane Freeman.

This has been a difficult few weeks—sorry, another difficult few weeks for Scottish Labour. For the benefit of the House, given that Scottish Labour’s senior politicians have no faith in this Government, will the Secretary of State outline the major policy differences between them?

First, as I should have done in response to the question from the former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), I associate myself with his remarks in relation to the late Jeane Freeman. She was a public servant of distinction who served in both the Scottish Cabinet and the Scottish Parliament for a number of years.

The SNP spokesperson talked about this being a difficult few weeks; the terrible truth is that we have had a difficult couple of decades under the SNP. Whether it is the SNP’s failure to build ferries in relation to transport, falling education standards, or its inability to get a grip on waiting times, the real issue of concern to Scotland is avoiding a third decade of SNP failure.

Unsurprisingly, the Secretary of State has not been able to tell me that there are any differences, because the sad truth is that when it comes to every issue, the Prime Minister’s most loyal supporters are in Scottish Labour. When it came to raising tax on small and medium-sized enterprises—no problem; when it came to scrapping the winter fuel allowance—no problem; when it came to the two-child benefit cap, they even kicked people out of the party—no problem. But when it comes to their own jobs, then there is a problem. Does the Secretary of State understand why Labour is falling so far and so fast?

The hon. Gentleman talks about sad truths; the sad truth is that one in seven young Scots between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in employment, education or training. The Scottish Government, in which he served, also uphold another sad truth: it is hard to think of a single area of Scottish public life over the past 19 years where we have seen an improvement. Scottish schools used to be the envy of the world, but the hon. Gentleman’s Government have delivered falling standards. The Scottish national health service, with brilliant staff, contrasts very badly with the level of progress on waiting lists that is being made by colleagues down here. Whether it is because of being weak on defence, inadequate on further education colleges, or generally just a secret and inadequate Government, there is a whole lot of change coming in May, I hope.