Meeting of the Parliament 29 April 2025
I think that that was a maybe.
I have taken lots of interventions and time is escaping me, but I will make two more brief points. First, the Government is entirely right to recognise the importance of the Grangemouth site. Today’s news is extremely distressing for the staff there. I would very much welcome a Government statement on what wider action it can take.
There is a lot in my amendment that I have not even had a chance to touch on, such as what the Scottish Government should be doing better in order to support business in the areas of taxation, regulation, planning and so much more. That is all covered in my amendment, which I am happy to move.
I move amendment S6M-17352.3, to leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert:
“condemns the UK Labour administration’s increase to employer national insurance contributions, which broke an explicit manifesto promise and put a large additional burden on industry in already challenging circumstances, putting jobs at risk; regrets that the Scottish Government’s Budget chose to keep Scotland as the highest taxed part of the UK and failed to pass on business rates relief in full, hitting workers, consumers and businesses; calls on the Scottish Government to prioritise common-sense policies for economic growth that develop skills in the workforce and ensure that the tax system is competitive, efficient, simple and fair; notes that the UK Government’s intervention in British Steel provides necessary support for the resilience of a strategic supply chain; recognises that the Grangemouth oil refinery is also part of a strategic supply chain that is important to both national resilience and high-quality job opportunities, and invites further consideration by both the Scottish Government and the UK Government of means to preserve this important national asset.”
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.