Contributions
638 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDScotland’s Role in UK Defence and SecurityI completely agree with my hon. Friend: our nuclear deterrent plays a key role in protecting every United Kingdom citizen from the most extreme threats and to abandon it would put…16 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyMr Deputy Speaker, I admire the tenacity of the hon. Gentleman. He is obviously very good a playing musical chairs, but I am going to finish. We share these islands. We share a…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI would add to the hon. Gentleman’s remarks by saying that as a country shadowing the pound it will not be the lender of last resort—it will have no lender of last resort. It is…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyFor ingenuity, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will give way.02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI make no apology for the fact that I have always been pro low taxes. That remains my position today. For all that the motion for today’s debate purports to focus on the economy,…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyIt is like musical chairs, Mr Deputy Speaker.02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate. I would, by convention, congratulate the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Ian Blackford) on securing the…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI fear that the SNP’s constant campaign—its neverendum campaign to leave the United Kingdom—acts like a millstone around the neck of the Scottish economy.02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyThat simply is not democracy, because the hon. Member is not respecting the result of the referendum in 2014. As we heard from the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber,…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI say to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Angus Brendan MacNeil): take the splinter out of your own eye. I am explaining how ballot boxes work. There was a very good,…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyThe hon. Gentleman makes a good point. It is not just education standards that are falling—there are many problems throughout public services in Scotland, and drug deaths are…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyThe hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. During the pandemic, in my role as Secretary of State for Scotland I signed many MACA—military aid to civil authorities—requests for…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyAll the SNP councils in Scotland are applying for these funds, and they have been welcomed. I remember the leader of Glasgow City Council—an SNP council—saying how pleased she was…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyThat could not be further from the truth. I am not implying that for a minute. It absolutely is fair shares for everyone; we have never disputed that. All I am explaining is that…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyI am going to make some progress— [ Interruption. ]02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyApart from the record settlement of £41 billion over three years, there is additional money—the £37 billion —from the support schemes the Chancellor introduced. That has Barnett…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyWe are close to announcing two new UK freeports in Scotland, backed by £52 million of investment from the United Kingdom Government. That is a great example of how much more we…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyYes, I give way to my former colleague.02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. I thank him for all the work that he did on the subject while he was a Minister in the Scotland Office. He was an absolute powerhouse in…02 Nov 2022HANSARDScottish Independence and the Scottish EconomyIf I can continue, the North sea transition deal is another thing that shows the UK Government working together with the offshore oil and gas industry to achieve a managed energy…02 Nov 2022