Calum Kerr
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Scottish Parliament information centre research shows that economic growth in Europe has been a third higher than the United Kingdom’s since Brexit. Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson said that the UK would be £350 million a week better off outside the European Union, but Brexit has caused real damage to our economy.”
“Motion agreed to, That the Parliament, noting that the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 14 May 2026, makes provision that falls within the legislative competence of the Parliament, agrees to give consent to such provision as is made by clauses 1-7, 9-23, 25-43, 45-59 and 61-64.”
“Unite the union has rightly called out the Labour Westminster Government for easing sanctions on aviation fuel that is produced from Russian oil while allowing Scotland’s refinery at Grangemouth to close. Let us be clear: Keir Starmer will reward Putin by bringing in jet fuel that is made from Russian oil.”
“As one person put it to me, this is not just playing with children all day; it is skilled professional work, and we must treat it that way, with pay, training, career structure and regulation that fit the setting. Childminders, private nurseries and school-age providers such as School’s Out all want to be part of what we are doing.”
“What an honour it is to have the opportunity to speak in our national Parliament, not least as the representative for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale— the constituency that I was born in and have called home for most of my life.”
“The Government recognised that in the previous budget, with an initial £15 million for breakfast clubs and £2.5 million for after-school provision. The work now is to make sure that our investment grows to match the scale of the gap and that what works in Stow becomes the norm rather than the exception.”
The complete record
Every one of 17 lines we hold for Calum Kerr, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I do not think that my vote went through. I would have voted no. The Presiding Officer: Thank you. Your vote is recorded.”
“Motion agreed to, That the Parliament, noting that the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 14 May 2026, makes provision that falls within the legislative competence of the Parliament, agrees to give consent to such provision as is made by clauses 1-7, 9-23, 25-43, 45-59 and 61-64. The Presiding Officer: That ends decision time. STV North News”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you. Your vote is recorded. For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Ahmed, Irshad (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab) Anderson, Heather (Dundee City West) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley) (SNP) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bannerman, Max (Highlands and Islands) (Reform) Barratt, David (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Baxter, Andrew (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North) (SNP) Beresford, Senga (South Scotland) (Reform) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Black, Dawn (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Bland, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) Bonnar, Steven (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Bouse, Gary (Falkirk West) (SNP) Brown, Alan (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Campbell, Kate (Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent) (SNP) Campbell, Michelle (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Currie, Victor (Highlands and Islands) (Reform) Day, Martyn (Falkirk East and Linlithgow) (SNP) Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Edinburgh Northern) (LD) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Dunlop, Duncan (South Scotland) (LD) Fagan, Joe (South Scotland) (Lab) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Gethins, Stephen (Dundee City East) (SNP) Ghani, Zen (Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok) (SNP) Gibson, Patricia (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Goodlad, Hannah Mary (Shetland Islands) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie) (SNP) Green, David (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD) Griffin, Mark (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab) Hagmann, Katie (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Harley, Adam (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (LD) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kerr, Alex (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) Kerr, Calum (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Kerr, Thomas (Glasgow) (Reform) Kirkwood, David (South Scotland) (Reform) Kumar, Simita (Edinburgh South Western) (SNP) Langan, Jamie (South Scotland) (Reform) Linden, David (Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston) (SNP) Lindsay, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) Long, Joe (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) MacCallum, Morven-May (Highlands and Islands) (LD) MacDougall, Julie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) MacKinnon, Donald (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Massey, Duncan (North East Scotland) (Reform) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McDade, Helen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Melville, Lloyd (Angus South) (SNP) Merrick, Colm (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Middleton, Jack (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mitchell, Laura (Moray) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Offord, Malcolm (West Scotland) (Reform) Oswald, Kirsten (Eastwood) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (Fife North East) (LD) Ross, Angela (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Reform) Sangster, Katherine (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab) Schmulian, Kim (Glasgow) (Reform) Simpson, Graham (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform) Simpson, Mark (North East Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Alyn (Stirling) (SNP) Smith, David (West Scotland) (Reform) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stafford, Pauline (Bathgate) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thewliss, Alison (Glasgow Central) (SNP) Young, Jenny (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab) Against Briggs, Miles (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Abstentions Bruce, Holly (Glasgow Southside) (Green) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Duane, Iris (Glasgow) (Green) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Kinross-O’Neill, Kayleigh (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) Leask, Kristopher (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Green) Manivannan, Q (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) McKee, Cara (West Scotland) (Green) Moodie, Laura (South Scotland) (Green) Nevens, Kate (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Edinburgh Central) (Green) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on motion S7M-00454, in the name of Tom Arthur, on the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, is: For 93, Against 10, Abstentions 15.”
“Scottish Parliament information centre research shows that economic growth in Europe has been a third higher than the United Kingdom’s since Brexit. Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson said that the UK would be £350 million a week better off outside the European Union, but Brexit has caused real damage to our economy. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of those findings? Does the First Minister share my concern that the Westminster parties continue to drag us down a path of managed economic decline?”
“To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to enhance rural connectivity and transport in the Scottish Borders. (S7O-00095)”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the steps it is taking to support businesses to further grow the Scottish economy. (S7O-00053)”
“Unite the union has rightly called out the Labour Westminster Government for easing sanctions on aviation fuel that is produced from Russian oil while allowing Scotland’s refinery at Grangemouth to close. Let us be clear: Keir Starmer will reward Putin by bringing in jet fuel that is made from Russian oil. Can the First Minister today reaffirm his Government’s solidarity with Ukraine, and will he join me in condemning this betrayal of the Ukrainian people and Scotland’s energy workers?”
“As a party and as a Parliament, let us get this done, for the families in Galashiels, in Stow and in every town and village beyond.”
“As one person put it to me, this is not just playing with children all day; it is skilled professional work, and we must treat it that way, with pay, training, career structure and regulation that fit the setting. Childminders, private nurseries and school-age providers such as School’s Out all want to be part of what we are doing. Let us make sure that we do not unintentionally undermine them; instead, let us ensure that we build on what is working with them in partnership. This is one of the most significant pieces of work that the Parliament will deal with over the next five years. The expansion of childcare can be transformational, with childcare built around families rather than families having to fit around childcare. It can give children the best start in life. It can support more parents into the work that they want.”
“The Government recognised that in the previous budget, with an initial £15 million for breakfast clubs and £2.5 million for after-school provision. The work now is to make sure that our investment grows to match the scale of the gap and that what works in Stow becomes the norm rather than the exception. As we all know, the extension down to nine months is a different proposition. At that level, requirements on staffing ratios, training and equipment are all much higher. I know that we will make sure that we get this right, but a phased approach would give us an opportunity to deliver benefits early while building out that capability. Whatever the phasing, we have to do this with the sector, not to it. Providers tell me that they feel stretched and sometimes undervalued.”
“However, also during the campaign, I visited Stow primary, which is a few miles up the road from that constituent’s town, where Stow Kids Club, with support from School’s Out, runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on site. Built by parents and providers and run on a tight budget, it shows what is possible. Our ambition for childcare extends in two directions: down to nine months and up through primary. In practice, those are two very different operations. Extending wraparound care to the end of primary offers the chance to build on infrastructure and models that already exist. After- school clubs, breakfast clubs and holiday provision represent the fastest path to real relief for working families.”
“I will share two stories from the constituency: one concerns the challenges that parents face, and one concerns the good practice that we can build on. In rural areas in particular, there are fundamental gaps in provision. A constituent in Galashiels wrote to me during the campaign to say that her child’s after-school club had closed and that there was no local alternative, although she lived in the second-biggest town in my constituency. So that she can keep working, she now pays £10 a day in taxi fares to get her child to a club in Melrose. That is what those gaps look like in real life. It also represents the cost of living in the most literal sense.”
“I do not claim to be an expert, but I have been steeped in the importance and value of good professional childcare, in the value of those who deliver it and in the reality that they can sometimes feel undervalued. When we announced the policy during the election campaign, the response from my constituency was instant. Parents welcomed the ambition, and they had questions about the how and the when and about whether it would fit their specific circumstances. The sector immediately got in touch to raise practical concerns about delivery and the workforce that would have to carry out the policy. Our manifesto has given us the ambition and has committed funding. The opportunity is now ours to seize.”
“I whole-heartedly support the motion. The case for expanding childcare is clear, and, from the introductory remarks, I can say that it is in safe hands. For the best part of a year, I have heard about the issue’s importance from parents on the doorstep, from Peebles to Penicuik and Galashiels to Gorebridge, and from the charities and providers that work with them. I was brought up in a household where childcare was a truly valued part of working life. My dad was a teacher and my mum, Grace, trained at Barnardo’s, became a nursery nurse and then a nanny, ran her own playgroup and then built and ran her own nursery in Peebles, which all three of my children went to.”
“What an honour it is to have the opportunity to speak in our national Parliament, not least as the representative for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale— the constituency that I was born in and have called home for most of my life. Before I come to the very important subject of the debate, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Christine Grahame. [Applause.] She served as MSP for the area, in its various forms, for 27 years and as a Deputy Presiding Officer of this Parliament. She was a formidable and determined champion for her constituents who always put people first and took no prisoners—even, occasionally, on her own side of the political aisle—to get results for them. She is, and will remain, a patriot and a champion for Scotland and for independence. I am grateful for her support and wish her well in her retirement.”
“I, Calum Robert 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.”
“North East Scotland College calculates that it has been underfunded by around £30 million over the past decade. That has resulted in fewer places for domestic students and threatens the north-east’s economic future. The college says that the funding system is “significantly disadvantaging the people and employers of the north-east”. The Scottish Funding Council’s recent funding allocation includes a substantial rural premium for nine colleges but not for NESCol. Will the First Minister urgently contact the SFC about restoring the rurality premium before it is too late?”