Meeting of the Parliament 09 June 2026 [Draft]
I extend my congratulations to Stephen Flynn on his new role as cabinet secretary. I very much welcome the debate on growing Scotland’s economy, because I believe that a genuine focus on growth has been desperately missing from this Parliament, and certainly from Scottish National Party Administrations, for a long time. I hope that Mr Flynn brings a fresh approach. I was encouraged by some of his words, so I am thankful for that.
This Parliament should be united on one fundamental truth, and that is that higher economic growth is essential. It is essential if we are serious about delivering long-term prosperity for everyone, serious about driving jobs and opportunity for everyone, and serious about improving our public services for everyone, yet the reality is that Scotland today faces stagnant growth, causing stagnant wages and resulting in far too few opportunities for people—especially young people.
Too many people feel that the economy is simply not working for them and that they do not have a future. Partly as a result, we now have unsustainable numbers of people who are out of work and relying on benefits. Scotland, with a working-age population of around 3.6 million, has only 2.6 million people in work. After allowing for students, carers, retirees and those who cannot work, we are still left with about half a million people who are effectively locked out of opportunity and prosperity.