Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2026 [Draft]
We have had six weeks of debates on a variety of topics on which the Scottish National Party, as the largest party in the chamber, has set out its vision for Scotland for the next five years. The purpose of this debate is to state clearly that Reform Scotland does not share the SNP’s vision of mediocrity and to make clear that Reform Scotland is far more ambitious for Scotland than has been set out by the SNP in the past six weeks.
The first debate in the new session of Parliament was a very half-hearted attempt by the SNP to put independence back on the table, even though the constitution is a matter that is reserved to Westminster and despite the fact that there is no appetite for separation in Scotland. That is mainly because the SNP still cannot answer basic questions on currency, pensions, borders and defence, and how on earth Scotland would ever join the European Union with a structural annual deficit of £30 billion versus a Maastricht maximum requirement of £10 billion. If the SNP were serious about independence, it would have spent the past 12 years since the independence referendum in 2014 preparing Scotland for separation, so that debate was purely performative. Reform Scotland is firmly of the view that, unless and until the SNP is able to answer the big questions of separation, the issue should be put firmly on the back burner and all our focus should be on making Scotland the most prosperous part of the UK.
We then heard several statements on the economy, where the SNP got into competition with the Greens about how many public services can be given away for free, as if that is the correct basis to judge any strong economy. Scots are too canny to be fooled by that. Nothing is for free. If it is not paid for by you, it is paid for by somebody else. With 1 per cent of Scots already paying 30 per cent of income tax and 10 per cent paying 50 per cent, it is pretty clear that we need more high earners to pay for all the freebies, so why on earth impose wealth taxes that drive away the highest earners? It is bonkers.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland has confirmed that Scottish taxes are too high and the six bands act as a barrier to productivity, the Scottish Fiscal Commission has warned of a £5 billion black hole because welfare spending is out of control and the new Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform has stated that his plans do not envisage any cuts. Reform Scotland rejects that la-la land.
Instead, our vision of a prosperous Scotland is one where our citizens are incentivised to work, by allowing them to keep more of their own money through lower taxes; where welfare will always be available to those in need, but we put maximum effort into helping half a million Scots back into the workplace to allow them dignity and pride and the means to look after their families; and where we reduce state spending by cutting duplication and waste.
We know that, after excessive taxation, the second reason that is causing low growth in our economy is that we have the most expensive energy in the developed world. However, in yesterday’s debate on energy, this place was literally an echo chamber, with all parties regurgitating the same old tropes of climate crisis and climate emergency. Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has quietly dropped those two emotive words from its lexicon because of the science.
Reform Scotland is clear that ideological net zero policies are causing disproportionate harm to the United Kingdom, given that the UK accounts for less than 1 per cent of global emissions, and that the fastest way to get our energy prices down is to pump our own North Sea gas onshore for domestic use only. There will be a complementary role for renewables, but only if they are commercially viable instead of relying on 50 years of subsidies, which has been the biggest transfer of money, from poor people to rich people, since Robin Hood.
If we truly want a growing economy to provide prosperity for everyone, which is the only sustainable way to combat rising costs of living, we need to get back to properly educating our young people. In the past 20 years, the SNP has presided over the collapse of our once gold-standard education from outstanding to average, but it does not call a debate on that subject—how cowardly. Reform Scotland would make education an urgent priority, to ensure that our young people can get real jobs in the real economy, with technical jobs that will not be taken away by artificial intelligence, for which skills and training are provided through tertiary colleges and apprenticeships, and universities that are focused on degree courses that will lead to high-value employment.
Finally, as well as a wealthy Scotland, we want a healthy Scotland—a society where our local communities feel valued and prioritised; where we will always welcome newcomers, so long as they contribute economically, respect our values and do not jump the queue for public services; and where a kinder Scotland is not defined by allowing men into women’s spaces, and our children are allowed to grow up as normal girls and boys.
Those are the topics and policies that Reform Scotland’s 17 newly elected MSPs have debated, in the first six weeks of the new session of Parliament, without fear or favour, but with knowledge, common sense and passion. Our group has real-life experience as well as significant technical expertise in all areas of policy, and we will be a strong voice for the silent majority.
The chamber should be chastened by the fact that, on May 7, 2 million Scots chose not to vote—a record low turnout, which proves that this chamber has lost its relevance to the Scottish people. When we come back in September, I ask that we have no more groupthink, please. Why? It is because, to paraphrase what General Patton once said, when everyone is thinking the same thing, no one is thinking. Reform Scotland is so ambitious for Scotland, and the status quo will not cut it. Our 17 MSPs will do the thinking, even if other members do not, and that is why Scotland needs Reform.
I move,
That the Parliament believes that strong and sustained economic growth is the foundation of a successful nation, where everyone can feel hope that effort will be rewarded, with opportunities and high-quality services for all; recognises that the Scottish Government’s policy choices are constraining economic growth, including Scotland becoming the highest-taxed part of the UK, which risks disincentivising work and investment and undermining confidence in the economy; further recognises that high quality jobs and opportunities provide more than just tax for the Government, as the loss of purpose experienced through unemployment or not being able to use their skills in work is a major factor behind the reported rising mental health crisis; further recognises that economic growth depends on a diverse range of pathways into employment, not solely through university, and calls for greater emphasis on apprenticeships that provide real skills and faster entry into the workforce, alongside a broader subject offer in schools, including targeted action to be directed at core literacy due to one in four primary school aged children still not reaching expected levels of literacy; acknowledges that net zero will come to describe the level of economic growth should current environmental policy continue on its current trajectory; considers that economic growth also relies on secure, affordable and reliable energy, and that increasing North Sea production is essential for price stability and security of supply as part of a broad, market-driven energy mix; believes that too many net zero policies such as low emission zones are a regressive tax for those on lower incomes, which only further harms individual opportunities and economic growth; further believes that sustainable economic growth requires public policy that commands broad confidence and is grounded in evidence, and notes concerns that recent policy approaches, including on gender, have alienated a majority of people, and failed some of those they were intended to benefit; considers that Lady Ross’s landmark legal ruling on transgender prison guidance is a condemnation of the deviation from evidence backed policy and must be swiftly complied with; recognises that population policy and migration must support economic sustainability and public services, and calls, therefore, for the use of devolved powers to reduce incentives for illegal migration, such as through not allowing non-citizens access to social housing or Scottish welfare, and to ensure that limited public resources are focused on supporting economic participation and long-term growth.