Alex Kerr
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I thank Mr Bonnar for asking the question. Does the minister recognise the benefits of a holistic approach to supporting those with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as that of Spark Connections in Larkhall, in my constituency, which is visiting the Parliament today?”
“Will the cabinet secretary work with me to explore a future GP walk-in centre in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, looking at sites such as the out-of- hours service in Douglas Street and the now- vacant bank in Larkhall, in order to better support my constituents and our wider NHS across Scotland?”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for her update on NHS capital projects and the future delivery of the Monklands hospital, and for the direct and transparent way in which she has come to the Parliament to communicate on that at an early stage.”
“A wide range of support and services can appropriately meet the diverse needs of neurodivergent individuals. Effective support is holistic, is needs based and requires a whole- system approach. The third sector plays a hugely important role in that.”
“I am keen that NHS Lanarkshire develops proposals that reflect local need and make best use of available sites, and I would be happy for Mr Kerr to engage with the board as that work progresses. I am sure that the suggestions that he has put forward will be part of that consideration.”
“Alex Kerr: As has been mentioned earlier, that extra £1.8 billion that we raised through progressive taxation—which has not led to the sky falling in, as it was claimed that it would do—has allowed us to fund things such as the Scottish child payment, which means that child poverty in Scotland is falling, while in England, Wales and North…”
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“I am keen that NHS Lanarkshire develops proposals that reflect local need and make best use of available sites, and I would be happy for Mr Kerr to engage with the board as that work progresses. I am sure that the suggestions that he has put forward will be part of that consideration. Our focus is on ensuring that communities such as Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse benefit from improved access to services in the most appropriate locations.”
“Will the cabinet secretary work with me to explore a future GP walk-in centre in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, looking at sites such as the out-of- hours service in Douglas Street and the now- vacant bank in Larkhall, in order to better support my constituents and our wider NHS across Scotland? Angela Constance: I appreciate Mr Kerr’s advocacy on the issue. It is important to recognise the fundamental and basic point that investing in good primary care, improving access and expanding community resources helps to reduce the pressures on our hospitals and acute services. As a Government, we have made a clear commitment to expand GP walk-in services, including in Lanarkshire. That is part of improving access to care and reducing pressure on accident and emergency services.”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for her update on NHS capital projects and the future delivery of the Monklands hospital, and for the direct and transparent way in which she has come to the Parliament to communicate on that at an early stage. GP walk-in centres and out-of-hours clinics, such as the excellent Douglas Street service in Hamilton, play a vital preventative role in delivering care at the point of need while relieving pressure on our A and E departments and helping us to continue to bring down waiting lists. Before the election, I campaigned relentlessly for a GP walk- in centre in my constituency.”
“A wide range of support and services can appropriately meet the diverse needs of neurodivergent individuals. Effective support is holistic, is needs based and requires a whole- system approach. The third sector plays a hugely important role in that. Organisations such as Spark Connections give young people the opportunity to socialise and explore their interests in a neuro- affirming environment. In recognition of that, we are committed to publishing a national social prescribing framework in order to strengthen social prescribing as a core element of person-centred care. New Refugee Doctors Project 3.”
“I thank Mr Bonnar for asking the question. Does the minister recognise the benefits of a holistic approach to supporting those with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as that of Spark Connections in Larkhall, in my constituency, which is visiting the Parliament today? It supports young people through learning about animation and film making, and it helps to tackle loneliness and isolation. Does the minister agree that promoting such organisations through social prescription would benefit people across Scotland? If the Presiding Officer will indulge me, I note that one of the group, TJ, is celebrating his birthday today, so will the minister join me in wishing him a happy birthday? The Presiding Officer: Happy birthday. Alison Thewliss: I wish TJ a very happy birthday, and I hope that Alex Kerr is shouting him a cake later on.”
“I know, though, that just like Anas Sarwar, who plays the role of branch manager for Labour, Mr Offord, for fear of his head office in London, will not be able to admit those facts today or during the rest of the parliamentary session. The only route to further and faster economic growth is to rejoin the European Union, and the only way to escape broken Brexit Britain and make that a reality is through Scottish independence.”
“Alex Kerr: As has been mentioned earlier, that extra £1.8 billion that we raised through progressive taxation—which has not led to the sky falling in, as it was claimed that it would do—has allowed us to fund things such as the Scottish child payment, which means that child poverty in Scotland is falling, while in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is not falling. I assume members over there welcome that, but I would like to hear that in some of their speeches. Malcolm Offord is not a stupid man—I know that. He has had a successful life in business outside politics, as his numerous homes, cars and boats can clearly attest to, which means that Malcolm Offord must see the reality of the continued damage that has been unleashed on the people of Scotland due to the Brexit obsession of his boss Nigel Farage.”
“A recent paper by a team of academics— Julie MacDougall: Will the member take an intervention? Alex Kerr: In a moment. A recent paper by a team of academics, including Eleonora Alabrese, assistant professor of economics at the University of Bath, found that Scotland has been made almost £30 billion a year worse off and is the worst hit of all the devolved nations. Julie MacDougall: The amendment praises progressive taxation. Can the member point to a single major public service that is performing better today than it was before Scotland became the highest-taxed part of the UK?”
“It has done so because when Scotland was dragged out of the EU against our will, the Boris Johnson Tory Government, in which Malcolm Offord eventually served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, allowed Northern Ireland to be in the unique position of maintaining access to the European single market, while Scotland was denied that access. That is crucial to that continued thriving and economic growth, and the UK’s loss of access to the European single market is why it has become the sick man of Europe. Therefore, rather than coming here and questioning the SNP’s positive record on Scotland’s economy, Malcolm Offord should be coming here to apologise for the economic disaster that his boss Nigel Farage has brought upon this country and our neighbours in England and Wales.”
“All of those successes and continued growth come against a challenging global backdrop, which has included a pandemic, the shock of wars across the globe and other upheavals. We can see that in the number of projects across Europe, which fell by 7 per cent; the number of projects in the UK, the new economic sick man of Europe, fell by 14 per cent. That brings me back to a point that I made earlier in the debate around the nations of the UK and their economic growth rates. Some members might have noticed that I mentioned only three of the nations that make up the UK—until now. The real-terms economic growth for Northern Ireland is far and away the strongest growth of the nations, coming in at 2.1 per cent. That is more than double the others. How exactly has Northern Ireland achieved that rate of growth?”
“Angela Ross: Do you think it is correct that, in this country, one in five people is skipping meals because they cannot afford food, or that one in 10 of our young people is leaving education and going into unemployment? Alex Kerr: No, of course I do not agree with that. However, do you understand that the only country in the UK where child poverty is falling—the only country—is Scotland? Again, that is due to policies such as the Scottish child payment. I do not know whether youse support it, but that policy is causing child poverty to fall in Scotland. Child poverty is not falling in any other nation in the UK. You can shake your head, but that is the reality of the situation.”
“We have around 8 per cent of the UK population, but, when it comes to attracting investment, we have captured 14.8 per cent of all foreign direct investment projects in 2025, which is well above our 10-year average share of 11.6 per cent. One third of those planning investments in the UK say that they will choose Scotland, which is up on 27 per cent last year. Angela Ross: Will the member give way? Alex Kerr: In a moment. Investors, with no axe to grind beyond making sound investments, cite Scotland’s highly skilled workforce, strong infrastructure and overall business environment. Does Malcolm Offord, or perhaps Angela Ross, think that those investors are wrong? I will take her intervention now.”
“Annual real growth in Scotland is outperforming that in Wales and England. If that is constraining economic growth, then can Reform explain what is happening in England and Wales? It seems to me that Westminster could be doing with taking some lessons from the Scottish Government when it comes to economic growth. Further to that, the news from EY’s most recent report—that Scotland remains the leading destination for investment in the UK outside London—also puts paid to the argument that Scotland’s economy is not well stewarded by the Scottish Government. It might interest MSPs to know that Scotland has been the leading destination in the UK outside London for 11 years in a row. In all 11 of those years, the SNP has been in government in Scotland. Scotland continuously punches well above our weight.”
“At the risk of my party colleagues falling off their seats, I will start on a point of agreement with the mover of the motion. It is indisputable that the foundation of any successful nation is strong and sustained economic growth. Without that growth, we will not have the ability to support the public services that our people deserve, and we will not be able to lift people out of poverty in the way that we strive to do. However, although the member and I agree on that much, we part ways there. I do not agree with the motion’s claim that “the Scottish Government’s policy choices are constraining economic growth.” In that, as in so many things, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party is just plain wrong. They might want to disagree with me, but the numbers from the Office for National Statistics do not lie.”
“It was not the SNP that closed Grangemouth. Had we been independent, we could have protected that strategic resource, which would have been producing jet fuel when it was in short supply. Had we been independent, Scotland could have been protected by the Scottish Government. Closing Grangemouth was a Westminster decision and it had nothing to do with us.”
“The House of Commons research that was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats showed a loss of £90 billion, or £250 million every day. The Deputy First Minister knows exactly the cost that that is having. We need to reverse it. I thank Alex Kerr for his sensible question. I will continue to work with him and others on how we can minimise the damage.”
“Despite every council area in Scotland voting to remain in Europe, we were dragged out against our will. Companies such as DFDS—which operates a logistics hub in Larkhall in my constituency and provides one of the major routes to the continent for seafood that is caught on the west coast—and their clients are paying the cost of remaining shackled to Brexit Britain. Previous figures have shown that £4 billion has been lost. Will the minister provide the most up-to- date figures for the cost to the Scottish economy of leaving the European Union and single market as well as for the economic growth that could be achieved by rejoining our European neighbours? Stephen Gethins: Scotland was one of the hardest-hit parts of the UK when it came to Brexit. The figures that I used earlier indicated a £3.3 billion reduction in revenues.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I think that the app has not registered my vote. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Your vote has been recorded.”
“I end by putting one of our fantastic community organisations in the third sector back at the centre of the debate. I extend an invite to the newly appointed minister, Simita Kumar, to come along and see the work of the Larkhall and District Volunteer Group at first hand. I again thank the cabinet secretary for bringing the debate to the chamber.”
“I have also had the pleasure of re-engaging with the Larkhall and District Volunteer Group, which is run by Sandra McCrory and which does fantastic work, particularly with older residents, to tackle social isolation and loneliness—issues that are often not given the significance that they deserve. The group’s free call line offers regular friendly phone calls for lonely or vulnerable people who live in the Lanarkshire area, with volunteers making daily calls from Monday to Friday, in either mornings or afternoons, for a friendly chat and to check that members are safe and well. The service provides reassurance and social contact for those who live alone and feel isolated. That is another service that the public sector would find it incredibly difficult to deliver on its own.”
“I have had some fantastic conversations of that sort. Last month, I spoke to Nancy and Terry of the Larkhall community plan group, who are involved in a host of local initiatives in the town, from growing to planning and a host of other services. In the process, they have highlighted a particularly obvious example of duplication that is getting in the way of empowering our local communities and which offers a great opportunity to help to share services locally. I will write to the cabinet secretary to raise that example with her, with the aim of moving forward public service reform at a local level, too.”
“They include: integrating service provision by working “much more closely in partnership” to improve outcomes; prioritising spending on services that prevent negative outcomes from occurring in the first place, to tackle problems at source; and, crucially, increasing efficiency in the delivery of our public services by “reducing duplication and sharing services wherever possible.” I firmly believe that, if we keep those principles at the forefront of our minds throughout this session of Parliament, we will be able to deliver public services that our communities can be proud of. On Christie’s final principle—that of increasing efficiency by reducing duplication and sharing services—I encourage members across the chamber to engage with organisations that are delivering in their local areas and to ask them for their views.”
“Our job should be to empower our communities to deliver what they know is needed locally and to use what they have established as a base to build on while including them in the design and delivery of the services that they use. Empowering individuals and communities is one of the key principles arising from the report of the Christie commission on the future delivery of public services—a key document that informs the Parliament’s work on public service reform. It is worth reminding ourselves of its other principles, to guide us in our decision making.”
“In most cases, it would be entirely unsustainable in the long run for the public sector to provide those services directly, which is a fact that I firmly believe is not appreciated nearly enough across all spheres of our political life, and one that is always at the forefront of my mind when considering how public money is best spent. That stark and inescapable reality is not one that we in this place should fear. As long as we have the courage and humility to work in partnership with the wider society that we strive to serve, we can deliver affordable public services that truly meet the needs of the citizens of our nation. At the end of the day, who knows better what the needs of our citizens and communities are than the people who live in those communities?”
“That tragedy drove Mark and Donna to expand the original aim of SOC far beyond that of expanding access to mental health care, with the result that it has become the award-winning organisation that it is today. It now offers a huge number of programmes, classes, courses and training events. Through their actions and the services that they provide, Mark and Donna have touched the lives of countless people in their community—people who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks We all know that many people like Mark and Donna do such work day in, day out in communities across our country.”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for bringing this crucial debate to the chamber. Communities across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse are incredibly well served by the work of the third sector. I know that because I have seen it at first hand as part of my work as the late Christina McKelvie MSP’s community engagement officer and again more recently during this year’s election campaign. From the very beginning of my career, I have had the privilege of seeing some of those organisations grow. They include the fantastic Supporting Our Community network in Hillhouse, which is commonly known as SOC. It was founded by volunteers from Hillhouse, Burnbank and Blantyre, including Mark and Donna Rouse, who have been a driving force in providing support for the community after the tragic death of their 16- year-old daughter Darian.”
“Thanks to the First Minister’s decision to call a bank holiday for Scotland’s first world cup game in almost 28 years, my constituents were able to watch one of our own— Lewis Ferguson, who was raised in the village of Quarter and trained by Hamilton Accies—help to deliver our first world cup win in 36 years, without worrying about the recovery on Monday. Could the First Minister tell the Parliament what his visit to America achieved for Scotland and how he intends to build on our men’s team making history and get people across the nation to take up our national sport, particularly after we win the world cup?”
“Women from the most deprived communities are more likely to have complex health issues, including diabetes; they are more likely to have a pre-term baby; and their baby is more likely to be small for its gestational age. This is a comprehensive, independent review, and inequity in all its forms will be at its heart.”
“It is vital that everybody planning for a family in Scotland should feel confident that they will have a positive and safe experience of maternity care, whereby their choices are respected and supported. Therefore, I was delighted to hear the cabinet secretary talk about equity of access, particularly in rural areas, including many communities in my constituency. Will the cabinet secretary say more about the plans to improve equity of access for expectant families across the country? Angela Constance: Alex Kerr raises a crucial point about equity, which is an issue with regard to access. We have heard about very long journeys, travelling across Scotland, that birthing mothers have taken. Equity is also important in considering the impact of deprivation. I will give one or two examples.”
“We needed to expose the genuine questions that are still extant in the public domain and in the body politic, because there is no criminal trial and there is no further recourse for answers outside a parliamentary inquiry. We needed it to happen, because, when questions go unanswered, we risk losing the dressing room of public opinion. Our constituents, the people who send us to this place, are beginning to turn away, and that is why the Liberal Democrats will support the Labour motion at decision time. 17:13”
“Willie Rennie is right: sunlight is always the best disinfectant, and there will be lessons for us all in such an inquiry about the role and training of the people who deliver the governance of our political parties. Most of those people are volunteers and do that work in good faith but do not necessarily understand the ledger book from back to front or how political parties’ funding is collected, how it is corralled, how it is spent and how it is accounted for. Trust in politics is at an all-time low—of that there is no doubt—and I am not sure that the tone of this afternoon’s debate has helped that reality in any way whatsoever, but it needed to happen.”
“While we are on the subject of amendments, I say to the Greens that, in the past hour— Jamie Hepburn: On that point, does Alex Cole- Hamilton accept that the matters that the standards committee looked into at that time pertained to what we are required to register as elected members of the Scottish Parliament? That is the difference. Alex Cole-Hamilton: The fundamental substance of that inquiry went into the internal workings and finances of the Labour Party, so there is nothing different about the two propositions. On the subject of amendments, I say to members that, in the past hour, Professor James Mitchell has taken to social media to say that he does not agree with the Green Party amendment and regards it as a serious attempt to evade the considerable questions that the SNP still has to answer.”
“The central point of the SNP amendment is that no committee of this Parliament should conduct or investigate the internal workings of another political party, because that would represent a clear conflict of interests. However, the SNP was not encumbered by concerns about that conflict of interests in 2008, when the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, chaired by Keith Brown, an SNP member, investigated the internal finances of the Labour Party as they pertained to Wendy Alexander’s leadership election, which caused her resignation. She accepted the verdict and outcome of that inquiry and resigned accordingly.”
“Why did another SNP spokesperson explain away the loan of £107,000 that Peter Murrell gave to the SNP in June 2021 as a personal contribution to help with cash flow just months after his partner at the time—his wife— Nicola Sturgeon, was captured on camera saying that the SNP’s finances had never been in better shape? Nobody has ever answered those questions. Who told them to say those things? For me, those statements represent the trigger point in relation to why a parliamentary inquiry is necessary. Those senior SNP sources could well be Government special advisers on the public payroll, and, if they were told to say those things, who told them and why, and what other Government resources were used in a cover-up?”
“Will Alex Cole-Hamilton take an intervention? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I am afraid that I do not have time. I might take one later, but I need to make progress. We should welcome an inquiry, because it will have lessons for us all. This matter is not going away. The response of the SNP, which we have heard much of today, is only making matters worse. It is fuelling further legitimate questions that the court proceedings can no longer answer. The multimillion-pound police investigation—which Jack Middleton reminded us of, in a speech that, frankly, was beneath him—was unable to answer such questions. It is fuelling questions such as why, in the week when it was seized, the camper van was explained away by a senior SNP source as a legitimate campaign room for a Covid election.”
“Will the member take an intervention? Malcolm Offord: No. I am finishing. Let us re-embrace Adam Smith from Kirkcaldy. His approach was simple. He said: “little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence … but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice”.”
“Stuart McMillan has raised an interesting point about the potential for pension funds, such as Strathclyde Pension Fund, to help to resource the solutions to the challenges that we face, while always ensuring that they deliver sound investments for their members. At this point, I must note an interest as a member of the Strathclyde pension fund. I was also on the fund’s committee until last month, and I heard of the direct impact portfolio, which targets investments with a local, an economic or an environmental, social and governance impact, while protecting returns. Does Mr McMillan agree that we should encourage such funds and strive to encourage investment from them, particularly in devolved areas, to come to Scotland in the first instance?”
“As a democrat, I am comfortable that the voters whom I represent will have the say on whether I succeed, because we should never fear the judgment of the public. That is perhaps a lesson for members on the Opposition benches. 15:29”
“The old ways are being swept away, and something new must rise to replace them. The Welsh and the Northern Irish can see it, too, having elected pro- independence First Ministers. For the first time ever, every devolved nation is led by a party that believes in a partnership of equal independent nations. I firmly believe that that is the only way to deliver the brighter future that our communities expect, and what is best for our communities will always be at the heart of what I do. I had the privilege to work for Christina McKelvie, who represented the constituency that I now represent since its establishment for three parliamentary sessions. Her dedication to our communities, to serving the public and to standing up for what she believed in, no matter the cost, are things that I will spend the rest of my days trying to emulate.”
“If we had been independent, we could have protected our strategic resources such as the refinery at Grangemouth, which had been a crucial refinery of jet fuel—now in short supply around the globe. Instead, Anas Sarwar promised the folk at the refinery that their jobs would be saved, before the UK Labour Prime Minister sacrificed the workers at Grangemouth in order to save steelworks in England for the national interests of the Palace of Westminster. In short, our people have been left significantly poorer in our living standards, our economy and our international standing. The question is no longer whether Scotland can afford to be an independent country. The question is how much longer Scotland can afford to be shackled to this increasingly damaging and dysfunctional political union. The British political system is broken.”
“The people of Scotland, by sending the largest-ever group of pro-independence MSPs to the Parliament, are demanding that that right is respected. People have had enough of Westminster decisions making their lives worse. Despite every council area in Scotland voting to remain in the EU, we were dragged out against our will because it was in the interest of the Palace of Westminster and the British state. In the end, that is the only interest that really matters in this broken political system. As a result of sacrificing the interests of communities across Scotland, what has happened? Food inflation compared with that in countries on the continent is up. The cost of energy compared with that in countries on the continent is up. Economic growth compared with that of countries on the continent is down.”
“Such a short-sighted rejection from the unionist parties is an admission of weakness by those in favour of preserving the last vestiges of an imperial project that is long past its sell-by date. If they were confident in the strength of their conviction, if they were sure of the economic strength of their arguments, if they were sure about remaining shackled to an increasingly economically and politically isolated Brexit Britain and if they believed that the people of Scotland were with them, why would they fear giving them a say on their future? We only ask for the right to decide. The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse put me here for the purpose of demanding that that right be respected.”
“Due to the UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system, both those results returned unrepresentative majorities, but, whether regarding Brexit or scrapping the winter fuel payment, no one claimed that those parties’ vote share delegitimised the manifesto that they ran on to be elected. It is one of the most basic tenets of democracy that, if a party wins an election, it should be able to implement its manifesto. The Scottish people have now elected the largest-ever pro-independence majority to this Parliament. Fundamentally, it must not be forgotten that a request for a section 30 order is not actually a request for independence. It is simply a request for the power to allow the people of Scotland to have a democratic say in their future.”
“I know that he was focused on helping those in need and how grateful those people were for his assistance. We in the SNP ran a campaign focused on hope—hope for a better future for Scotland as an independent country back in the European family of nations. While other parties spoke about how they would stop the SNP, we focused on telling the people of Scotland how independence and an SNP Government would make their lives better. The public considered our message and they sent the SNP back as the governing party of Scotland for a historic fifth term on 38.2 per cent of the constituency vote. That is a considerably more convincing result than the 33.7 per cent that Labour returned in the general election in 2024 or the 36.9 per cent that the Tories returned in 2015.”
“I feel incredibly grateful to be able to stand here and represent the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in our nation’s Parliament. During the campaign I travelled the length and breadth of the constituency. We spoke to people in every community: in Hamilton, Dalserf, Quarter, Ferniegair, Netherburn, Ashgill, Larkhall and Stonehouse. It is an honour to represent such a diverse constituency, from the rural villages reaching to the Clyde valley to the populous towns of Hamilton and Larkhall. It is an area with a rich tapestry of history, from Chatelherault to being at the heart of the industrial revolution. I assure those people that I will never take for granted the privilege that they have given me to serve as their MSP. I thank Davy Russell for the work that he has done for constituents in his time as an MSP.”
“My primary loyalty, over any loyalty, is to the people of Scotland and the common good. I am making this affirmation so that I can take up my seat and represent my constituents. I, Alex Kerr, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law.”