Douglas Alexander MP: speeches 2026

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Speeches

15 Jul 2026 · Devolved Powers · Hansard source
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I hardly think that the SNP mismanagement the hon. Gentleman rightly describes should damn devolution in the eyes of everyone in this Chamber. It is perfectly possible to drive a Ferrari into a ditch, which is pretty much what we have seen over the last 19 years.
15 Jul 2026 · Devolved Powers · Hansard source
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An awareness of all those issues is not simply for the incoming Prime Minister, but for anybody who reads a newspaper in Scotland. What we have witnessed is a travesty of the potential of devolution. It is not simply the distraction of focusing on issues that are not devolved, but the SNP’s abject failure in policy area after policy area that is devolved: ferries, hospitals, schools—the list goes on.
15 Jul 2026 · Devolved Powers · Hansard source
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The SNP seems to respect every vote, apart from the constitutional referendum, in which 84% of the Scottish people exercised their democratic choice. The hon. Member she says that devolution is all the rage. With respect, some of us were early adopters. I campaigned for, voted for and supported the Scotland Act 1998 in this House, arguing for a two-Parliament solution to Scotland’s effective governance. Energy policy is one of the areas of policy that is held here at Westminster, albeit that there are important planning considerations in Westminster, but on the substantive point that the centralisation of powers in Holyrood needs to be reversed, I certainly do agree. The hon. Lady seems to have no comment on that. She is obviously replicating the pattern of behaviour of a certain former First Minister.
15 Jul 2026 · Devolved Powers · Hansard source
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I welcome the hon. Member to her place and congratulate her on her recent by-election victory. This Government’s focus is to make the existing devolution settlement work effectively. For too long, we have watched centralisation of decision making taking place at Holyrood, pulling powers away from local communities across Scotland, and it is time that changed. I remind the SNP-led Scottish Government that there is actually a nation outside of and beyond Holyrood: it is called Scotland.
15 Jul 2026 · Devolved Powers · Hansard source
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I could not agree more. My own mother worked for many years in the NHS in Ayrshire, at Crosshouse hospital. The Scottish Government are, alas, letting those dedicated NHS workers down. After 19 years in power, they must account for their record on public services, from NHS waiting lists to declining school standards. We used to have an education system that was the envy of the world. The priority should be on delivery, not division.
15 Jul 2026 · City Region Deals · Hansard source
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City region and growth deals are having a visible and transformative impact on regional economies across Scotland. Built on more than £1.5 billion of UK Government investment, the deals play a vital role in fostering enduring economic growth, unlocking private sector investment, and improving infrastructure and job opportunities.
15 Jul 2026 · City Region Deals · Hansard source
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Let me assure my hon. Friend that we are committed to bringing economic opportunity to every part of Scotland. Unlocking the economic potential of sites exactly like the ExxonMobil Bowling terminal is how we can achieve that for communities and deliver the high-skilled jobs that people want. West Dunbartonshire is presently benefiting from over £500 million through the Glasgow city region deal, as well as money from our new local growth fund. This Government are working hard with local partners to deliver long-term prosperity.
15 Jul 2026 · City Region Deals · Hansard source
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In the words of the incoming Prime Minister, we’re up for it, as far as devolving power from Holyrood is concerned. Alas, many of the powers rest with the Scottish Government. We need to end the grinding centralisation that I described in my speech to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities last autumn, and see a renewed focus on the city regions of Scotland.
15 Jul 2026 · New Nuclear Energy Projects · Hansard source
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Whether it is Hunterston in my hon. Friend’s constituency or Torness in my own constituency, Scotland has a proud history of harnessing civil nuclear power to bring jobs and growth to Scotland. Alas, the anti-scientific approach the SNP has adopted of denying us the future of carbon-free energy is one that will also, unless it changes, deny us the high-skilled jobs and investment required in North Ayrshire and across Scotland.
15 Jul 2026 · New Nuclear Energy Projects · Hansard source
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Yes. On that there is cross-party consensus. I can attest to that as the constituency Member of Parliament in Lothian East, where we have had decades of not just sustainable power that is carbon-free, but really high-quality jobs, excellent apprenticeships and stimulus to the local economy. I know the contribution of the hon. Gentleman’s own constituents to the work in Torness. We want to see life beyond 2029-30.
15 Jul 2026 · New Nuclear Energy Projects · Hansard source
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Great British Energy Nuclear’s technical study, which was recently published, confirms that Scotland possesses land areas with high potential for new nuclear development. Such projects could deliver significant investment and thousands of high-quality, unionised, skilled jobs. As a Government, we remain open to discussions with the Scottish Government on deploying these technologies to boost Scotland’s economic growth and energy security.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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Yes. Ours is a politics of solidarity, co-operation and togetherness. We had a manifesto commitment not only opposing independence, but opposing a further referendum, and we stand by that mandate.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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There is a serious point to start the answer, which is that I have always believed that to be pro-Scottish, you do not need to be anti-English. We should be bigger and more generous than that. We are all immensely proud of Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson and the achievement of getting to the world cup. I think we could look across the North sea to Norway for a demonstration of grace in the circumstances in which they left the tournament. Be assured that I wish our friends, our neighbours and our sometimes rivals well this evening at 8 o’clock.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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The Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee speaks with her characteristic wisdom and authority on these matters. It seems that the only output that is rising on the SNP’s watch is the number of statements being issued by solicitors on behalf of their high-profile clients.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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I am not sure whether paying generous tribute to the right hon. Gentleman for his question and the wisdom thereof will impair my prospects. Of course, devolution provides us with the tools, but one of the great tragedies of the last two decades in Scotland is that, regardless of whether it is the education system—where we used to be the envy of the world—the national health service, or the capacity to build and operate ferries, all too often Scotland has gone backwards on the SNP Government’s watch. There is a pretty basic explanation for that: for them, government is simply a way station on the route to independence, so they are not interested in delivering truthfully for the people of Scotland.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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This is now almost a matter of ancient history, but in the forgotten referendum that took place under the last Labour Government, I was proud to campaign alongside the hon. Member’s party’s former leader Charles Kennedy in favour of the alternative vote. In that sense, I think there are ways that we can improve the working of our democracy within the United Kingdom, without leaving and separating ourselves from the United Kingdom.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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Still none.
15 Jul 2026 · Independence Referendum · Hansard source
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I am glad to see that SNP Members are staying classy, as usual. On the matter of personnel choices, I am not sure that my first go-to source would be the First Minister, because of course he appointed Peter Murrell to be the chief executive of the Scottish National party. [ Interruption. ] They do not like the answers to their questions, Mr Speaker! On the SNP’s continuing obsession with independence, I simply say that this is surely a better time to focus on delivery. In May, nearly a third of patients in Scotland waited in A&E for more than the target of four hours, with a staggering 16,612 people waiting over eight hours and 6,978 people waiting more than 12 hours. That is the worst performance since records began. The SNP’s manifest failure on delivery is the elephant in the room—or should I say the camper van in the drive?
15 Jul 2026 · Defence Skills: Fife · Hansard source
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I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who is a tireless advocate for the people of Fife and, indeed, for its outstanding college. Our officials are in discussions with both the colleges sector and the Scottish Government, and hope that they will match the £10 million of funding that this Government have committed so that we can get on with building those skilled defence workforce jobs in the future. If only we had a Scottish Government who were investing in defence skills rather than dithering on defence! The responsibility and the opportunities of this time are huge.
15 Jul 2026 · Defence Skills: Fife · Hansard source
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As part of the £50 million Scotland defence growth deal, we have confirmed £5 million for the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus at Rosyth, helping to develop the advanced manufacturing skills needed to support the Type 31 frigate programme and future development opportunities arising from the new defence investment plan. This builds on an earlier £340 million investment in the Rosyth dockyard.
10 Jun 2026 · Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I thank hon. Members for their important contributions. The Opposition spokesman, the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway, raised important issues. I assure the hon. Member for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber that I wrote down his points very carefully—although alas, not with a Montblanc pen. On borrowing, this debate goes on the public record, and I can assure the hon. Gentleman therefore that our observations in relation to public borrowing will be a matter of record itself. My hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough managed, I have to say, a rather good joke about the GDP deflator, which is no mean achievement and merits further consideration. The hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire spoke with characteristic wit, wisdom and brevity. This draft order demonstrates the continued commitment by the UK Government to work with the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland and maintain the functioning of the financial settlement for Scotland. I therefore commend it to the House. Question put and agreed to.
10 Jun 2026 · Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I beg to move, That this Committee has considered the draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase in Borrowing Limits) Order 2026. It is a genuine pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. I am grateful for the opportunity to debate this draft order, which was laid before the house on 20 April 2026. It is the result of collaborative working between two Governments of the United Kingdom and of Scotland, and it upholds the 2023 fiscal framework agreement, which I will refer to as the 2023 agreement. The draft order deals with the cumulative borrowing powers of the Scottish Government, and it is not the first time that the House or its Committees have considered such an order. As with the increase in borrowing limits order this time last year, the draft order, if made, will increase the Scottish Government’s cumulative capital and resource-borrowing limits to reflect inflation. It is made under sections 67 and 67A of the Scotland Act 1998, which set out the amounts available to borrow under section 66 of the Act. As specified in those sections, we bring forward the order with the consent of the Treasury. This is the third such order to be brought forward. The first was in May 2024, under the previous Government, and the second was last year, under this Government. The draft order, like all Scotland Act orders, delivers the Government’s responsibilities for the effective functioning of the devolution settlement. The 2023 agreement sets out that the cumulative limits for capital and resource borrowing will increase based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s GDP deflator forecast at the time of the Scottish Government’s draft budget. In the 2023 agreement, the UK Government agreed to amend the Scotland Act 1998 to increase those limits as necessary. If made, this draft order would increase the cumulative resource borrowing limit from a little more than £1.83 billion to a little more than £1.91 billion, and the cumulative capital borrowing limit from a little more than £3.14 billion to £3.27 billion.
10 Jun 2026 · Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I have almost finished. I am happy to respond to comments made in the course of the debate. The draft order will provide the Scottish Government with certainty over the cumulative borrowing limits for this financial year. I wish to make it clear that the Scottish Government remain accountable to the Scottish Parliament on how they use those increased borrowing powers. In summary, the order will make amendments to UK legislation to increase the cumulative borrowing limits of the Scottish Government ahead of the next financial year. In doing so, the UK Government uphold our commitment to the 2023 agreement. As ever, Scotland Act orders are only possible with the joint working of officials in both Governments. I put on the record my thanks to officials across the Scotland Office, His Majesty’s Treasury and the Scottish Government for their work on the draft order. Such positive collaboration delivers for the people of Scotland.
10 Jun 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source
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This Government are taking action to foster economic growth in Scotland. According to the latest figures, the UK is now the fastest-growing economy in the G7, and last week the OECD upgraded our growth forecast for this year, as did the International Monetary Fund. Scottish businesses and communities are benefiting from our new trading relationships with India and the United States and from the UK’s defence dividend. Those are all creating and supporting good-quality jobs across Scotland.
10 Jun 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source
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In relation to the Pride in Place policies that we have set out, we are directly targeting support that can be provided to high streets across Scotland. The hon. Lady will be aware that within the devolution settlement, local taxation in relation to high streets rests appropriately with the Scottish Government. I wrote to the First Minister offering to meet him immediately on his appointment, but it is a matter of regret that he has not taken up that opportunity.

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