Willie Rennie
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“Daniel Johnson’s remarks were powerful, and he identified an issue that is sometimes uncomfortable and that we need to address. The country faces difficult issues, and we do ourselves no favours by ignoring those issues. Some of the points that Daniel Johnson made about immigration were right, and we need to discuss them.”
“Again, Daniel Johnson highlighted that when he talked about comments on “fighting- age men”, “strangers” and “two-tier policing”. We know what those terms mean and what they are appealing to. Thomas Kerr: Will the member take an intervention? Willie Rennie: Yes, I will take an intervention from Mr Charmer himself.”
“I understand that a German company will now use the Dalzell plant as a jobbing mill, importing 4,000 tonnes of slab from a foreign supplier outside the UK instead of purchasing that slab from Scunthorpe. All that raises serious questions about an important part of the steel industry in Scotland.”
“It is important for the UK Government that there is learning from the process and that the circumstances of our Parliament—for example, when we re-form following an election—are not an afterthought in relation to the UK Government’s formulation of its approach to legislation and when it decides to introduce it.”
“So far, the Scottish Government has not been formally asked to provide support, but I advise the member and the chamber that the issue was part of my discussions with the UK Government minister yesterday. The legislation extends to Scotland, and the steel undertaking would capture the site.”
“Will that be repaid, and at what point? When will we have a proper functioning mill—the only wide-plate mill in the United Kingdom—at Dalzell? When will it have a constructive relationship with the Scunthorpe plant? All those issues should be at the front of the Government’s mind, but, as usual, it is not paying attention.”
The complete record
Every one of 861 lines we hold for Willie Rennie, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 18.
“I have asked the minister about that previously, but he was unable to give me an answer. The Government has not even asked whether we are anywhere near meeting the standards framework. Are we? In relation to temporary accommodation, do we understand what is really going on with social landlords and private landlords across the country? It does not seem that the minister is in a hurry to try to understand that, because work on the framework started two years ago. We should not forget that half of the children in temporary accommodation in Glasgow are from refugee families. That has not been mentioned in the debate so far. They have to live in limbo for a very long time. We need to consider how we respond to and treat refugees, because, as I have witnessed, they have to live in hotels and other types of accommodation for very long periods.”
“The report reveals that the issue is about not just numbers, but human lives and the impact on children’s security, health—including mental health—and education. It is about schools and transport. It is not just one child whose life is in limbo; thousands of children are in limbo. The quote that struck me the most shows that the effect is as much mental as it is physical: “I’m coming back to a home that no matter how I clean it, it feels dirty”. You cannot get that out of your head. That feeling must be there 24/7—you must never escape it. Therefore, I hope that the minister responds in a much more significant way than he has done so far. The minister talked about the standards framework, but Meghan Gallacher is right—the work began two years ago and we are still at the starting line. We do not even know what the baseline is.”
“It is really interesting that, in trying to amend Labour’s motion, the Government has lodged an add-on amendment. In effect, it is accepting that there has been a breach of the UNCRC. This is quite a moment. The Government is readily accepting that there has been not just one breach but, we assume, numerous breaches. However, on the back of that, there is no urgent action of the type that I would expect. The minister has just repeated what he is already doing. It is quite an admission for the Government to acknowledge that the UNCRC—the United Nations international convention on children’s rights—has been breached on numerous occasions. I hope that, when the minister sums up the debate, we will hear a little more about the urgent action that is needed, because we have heard about the real consequences.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now move to the open debate, with back-bench speeches of up to four minutes. 15:17”
“There has been no benefit, and the money involved represents considerable exposure for the Government. The Trump tariffs pose a considerable threat to the Lochaber smelter, and we have seen none of the 2,000 jobs that were promised. And now Ferguson’s. All that because the Government has been more fixated on chasing the headlines than on building a proper industrial strategy. The Government should be ashamed. I supported the budget this year, and we worked with the Government because we were building in more support for the northern isles, but the rest of the strategy is an embarrassment. I wish that the Government would be honest about that, because, as the permanent secretary said only yesterday, we need to learn the lessons from the past. This Government seems to be completely incapable of doing so.”
“It won it the time before, when the assessment was 50:50 on price and quality. The previous process involved a 424-page document being provided to Ferguson’s, rather than to any other bidder, and design support being given to the company. It is clear that the previous process was rigged, but that has never been admitted by the Government and still no minister has resigned. The reality is that the Government is more interested in chasing the headlines than it is in building a proper industrial strategy. Just look at BiFab: the Government wasted £50 million with no benefit whatsoever. The company collapsed, no jobs were saved, and the minister said, “you win some, you lose some.” Dalzell steelworks was, in effect, mothballed—that has been the case for months.”
“It was striking that, at the Finance and Public Administration Committee yesterday, the permanent secretary commented, in passing, that we need to learn the lessons from the past on procurement. What could he have been talking about? We need cast our minds back only a few years to the BBC documentary that exposed the procurement process for those two infamous ferries. This afternoon, the cabinet secretary refused to say what proportion of the bid related to social benefit, but it is interesting that, in the previous procurement process, the bids were assessed 50 per cent on price and 50 per cent on quality. This time, bids were assessed 65 per cent on quality and 35 per cent on price. Therefore, the percentage of the assessment that was based on price was lowered, and yet Ferguson’s did not win the contract this time.”
“I suppose that it depends on the starting point, but I think that the cabinet secretary had some nerve to begin her speech by saying that progress has been made. There has not been one inch of embarrassment or shame about this whole episode—delayed ferries that are over their budget, painted-on windows, a leaking hull and short cables, with it being cheaper to scrap the ferries and start again. How embarrassing has this whole episode been? Not one minister has resigned as a result of the series of catastrophes over many years. The people who have been let down are the yard workers, taxpayers and islanders. Even though ministers owned the yard and, before that, their favourite industrialist was brought in to save the yard, no minister has accepted any responsibility.”
“Before we move to the next item, there will be a brief pause to allow front benches to change. Scottish Hospitals Inquiry (Interim Report)”
“I have received this letter from a resident in Edinburgh. It is from the Scottish Government, and it says: “due to issues encountered during the procurement process, the completion and drafting of the refreshed SBA has encountered a delay, as the supplier selected has not been able to deliver as set out in our initial programme. Unfortunately this means that we require further advice to address the issues encountered and to progress with the SBA process.” Will the minister set out how many properties are affected by that delay and when the issues will be resolved? Paul McLennan: I am happy to engage with Mr Rennie on that point. He did not mention the building or the resident, but I am happy to engage with Mr Rennie and the resident on the issue. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes portfolio questions.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the implementation of its temporary accommodation standards framework, in light of reports that children are living in properties affected by mould, vermin and overcrowding. (S6O-04434)”
“My final remark is that this matter is quite personal to the Liberal Democrats. Many will have seen the story about Ed Davey, my party leader, caring for his young son, John, who has been disabled from birth. It is a moving story, and it clearly involves deep feelings. Ed Davey has made it a personal mission to try to change the system on behalf of all carers, whether they are older or young carers. My colleague in North East Fife, Wendy Chamberlain, managed to deliver the Carer’s Leave Act 2023, which entitles workers to leave from work to look after their loved ones. Those are two small measures, but they are important steps that we all need to engage in to make life a little bit better for those who care for those we love. 13:14”
“Young carers are under a lot of pressure: I cannot imagine the pressures of growing up, which itself is difficult, but with that extra responsibility. As Martin Whitfield rightly says, young carers do it for the sake of love. Nevertheless, it is quite a sacrifice to make, which is why the Government needs to take extra steps to ensure that we provide the infrastructure and make support available to them. That is why I support all the measures that have been set out today, including on breaks. We also need to develop understanding across all public services—not just the education system, but every part of our public services. In fact, all of us need to fully understand what it means to be a carer and what we can do to help. We need to have that understanding, as well as making services and extra support available.”
“There was face painting, and Christine Grahame, who had come along with me that day, decided that, of all the things to give me, she would paint a black eye on my face, which I carried for the rest of the day. I am sure that that reflected a more permanent physical feature that she would like to put on my face—nevertheless, it was a joyful day and we had great fun. There are two sides to the personal impact on young people. Jeremy Balfour made the point that young carers grow up quickly and talked about the skills that they gather, the empathy that they develop, the resilience that they have and the multitasking ability that they develop. Those things are a huge upside to what is a very challenging set of circumstances, and they will see the young people well for the rest of their lives, for future job opportunities and for education.”
“I pay tribute to Carers Trust for bringing so many young people to the Parliament today. It makes a difference; this is not just a series of speeches. We take the issues away with us and such debates have an impact on the policies that we develop for our parties and on the scrutiny through which we hold the Government to account. I pay tribute to Paul O’Kane for leading the debate and, in advance of the minister’s final contribution, I give credit to her for the work that she has done in the area. I hope that it encourages her to give an even more positive response in her conclusion. I have a memory of going to the Broomlee centre, when the Scottish young carers festival was held there.”
“The First Minister: I will not tire of pointing out to the Conservatives the complete and utter hypocrisy of their demanding that we spend more money when, at the same time, they want us to cut the budget. They are beyond credibility in this Parliament. I say to Mr Rennie that we are happy to engage on issues concerning the operation and the future of the university sector in Scotland, and the Government is already engaged in on-going discussions with the sector. However, all such discussions require us to have a mature conversation about priorities. I acknowledge that Mr Rennie and his party have been prepared to do that, and I invite others in the Parliament to step up to the plate. Healthy Life Expectancy 6.”
“I hope that the First Minister will provide more financial support for Dundee. However, irrespective of whatever short-term support for institutions might be available, I ask him to look again at the substance of Jamie Greene’s question. There needs to be cross-party discussion about a long- term financial model. Right now, the student profile is changing, there are global pressures and there are also longer-term financial pressures. I plead with the First Minister to have cross-party discussion so that our universities can have a strong future. The First Minister: Mr Rennie is in a stronger position to argue for that, because he was prepared to do the tough thing of voting for the Government’s budget earlier this year. [Interruption.] The Presiding Officer: Let us hear one another.”
“As I said a moment ago, we are perfectly willing to consider any asks in this space. However, as matters stand, there has been no ask from the University of Dundee for any specific additional support beyond what the SFC will be looking to provide at its board meeting tomorrow.”
“There is a degree of frustration and despondency with the threatened job losses in the wider Dundee area, which includes my constituency. There is a frustration that the Government is not ready with an additional offer. I know that the Government has provided £15 million in financial transactions to the wider sector, but we must surely be able to act more swiftly than this. People are worried about their future. When will the minister be able to come forward with a boosted offer to provide some certainty and stability for the institution? Graeme Dey: As I think that Mr Rennie heard at the Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning from the cabinet secretary, the SFC is actively scrutinising the plan, with a view to come back—hopefully by the start of next week—with further advice to ministers. We await that advice.”
“An awful lot of work is under way, and I am happy to contact him to update him on it.”
“The cabinet secretary might be aware that I have been concerned about the massive growth in the number of pots that are being used in the Forth and the impact that that is having on the stock of lobsters and crabs. Will the cabinet secretary update the chamber on when controls will be considered for introduction in order to make sure that that number does not grow any further? Mairi Gougeon: I am sure that Willie Rennie will be aware of some of the interim measures that we have in place in relation to important inshore stocks. It is important that we review the measures that are under way. We are also undertaking a programme of work to look at our inshore fisheries management more widely. I am more than happy to follow up with Willie Rennie on any specific issues that he has in relation to that.”
“By getting alongside Mr Trump, he has tried to persuade, influence and effect change. I do not know how successful he will be—I am sure that he does not know—but he is right to try to do so. The way that he has tried to create a bridge between Europe, Ukraine and the United States is exactly the right thing to do. We need to listen—mostly listen—incredibly carefully, because we will need long-term solutions that will be to our benefit.”
“Liz Smith was right to open her contribution by putting the issue in context. In the main, all that we have discussed this afternoon dwindles into insignificance compared to what could be coming. Mr Trump is trying to change the way that the US economy works. He is trying to bring jobs back to the United States of America and is determined to do almost anything in order to achieve that. As he has acknowledged in recent days, it might be turbulent in the short term but his long-term goal is quite clear. He is very transactional in that process and is prepared to run over almost anybody to achieve it. We need to be wise to that and we need to recognise the enormous challenges that it poses to us. We therefore have to recognise that the Prime Minister has played a pretty significant role so far.”
“Rail services that stop at Newburgh in Fife have been cancelled for decades. Will the cabinet secretary update the chamber on when she plans to reopen that railway station? Fiona Hyslop: I compliment Willie Rennie’s attempt to make a question about cancellations over a period, which amount to a closure, into a pitch for a station. He raises an important point. If we look ahead at investment in rail, there are issues not only around the track and the procurement of fleet services but around availability and accessibility. In a cost benefit analysis and in the consideration of a multimodal approach and other alternatives, assessments of investment in stations such as Newburgh should be looked at in the round.”
“I referred in a previous answer to flipping, which is when properties that can be used as temporary accommodation are then turned around to become permanent accommodation. We work closely with local authorities on the housing that can be available to families— including some families who have three, four or maybe five children. Again, it is about trying to find suitable accommodation that is near the school at the particular time. I also mentioned the ministerial oversight group. I am working with colleagues on that. I also mentioned some of the issues around homelessness. The report mentions the impact on health and, for example, the impact on a child’s mental health. We are working as closely as we possibly can with local authorities in relation to flipping and on finding suitable accommodation near the child’s school.”
“I am not sure that the minister has read the report. The devastating impact is really clear. In it, one mother refers to her 13-year-old son, who is living in temporary accommodation, saying that “He is more sensitive and sad”. That is devastating and has lifelong impacts. I do not think that the minister answered one single question that Miles Briggs posed. I will therefore put to him two of the issues that were put forward. Will the minister impose a ban on moving children between schools, so that they cannot be moved? Will the standards framework be reviewed so that we do not end up with mouldy homes, with vermin in those properties? Paul McLennan: I think that Mr Briggs made a number of points. I was at the launch of the report yesterday and I have read it.”
“That research is important for spin-outs for licensing but also for ensuring that there is an ecosystem of businesses around those institutions. On that point, I conclude. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 16:04”
“That is my deep concern about Liberty Steel, which I mentioned to the First Minister at lunch time. The Government had better have a plan for what is coming, because I can see Gupta collapsing quite soon and that plant, which has already had no production for several months, being in significant trouble. It supplies the foundations for onshore wind farms, so we must pay attention to that. Paul Sweeney: Will the member take an intervention? Willie Rennie: I am almost out of time. I have deep concern about investment in universities. They are centres of innovation, but there is a decline in the funding arrangements for those institutions. That is having a direct impact on our research performance, which used to be among the best in the UK but is now sliding.”
“Equally, having facilities for pumped storage will require a significant upgrade to the roads in those communities. I would argue that we should look to use some of the community benefit that is coming from those projects to invest in them, just as the Faroe Islands have done in developing tunnels and other infrastructure. Thirdly, there is skills. We ensured that a college skills programme was included in the budget, because that is an essential part of the programme. Some of it is about reskilling and upskilling in the move over from oil and gas, but, first and foremost, it is about skilling. Then there is the supply chain. We cannot repeat the mistakes of BiFab and Harland & Wolff, whereby workers in Methil can see the turbines from their houses but there is no work in the yard just down the road to build those turbines.”
“We should not forget onshore renewables, because a lot of developments are still taking place—with onshore wind in particular—and there are also pumped storage facilities. A huge surge of work is coming. Are we ready for it? We need to be ready for a number of things, some of which have been mentioned. First, there is the consenting process. We need to have enough planners with enough skill to process the applications quickly and get them approved, so that the companies can see that the licences that they have secured will result in an output quite soon. Secondly, there is infrastructure, by which I mean roads but also housing. There is no point in developing opportunities for work in remote parts of the country if there is nowhere for the workers to live.”
“They want to know what the direction of travel is, and they want the Government, by and large, to stick with it. I have heard Ivan McKee speak about that before. Every press release that comes from the Government must signal very clearly what is new, what is different and what people or businesses need to pay attention to—that is, what businesses need to do today in response. There should be no more puff press releases that are dressed up as something new when they are not. We need long- term consistency and caution on regulation and taxation. Some of the sectors that I will cover have been covered already, though others have not. One of those is renewables, both onshore and offshore.”
“I welcome the hard-nosed focus that the Government is bringing to the debate—it is long overdue. We need to celebrate our great assets in Scotland. Nobody in the chamber would deny those great assets. The pipeline, the building of relationships and the de-risking approach that the minister has set out are welcome steps. However, there are two real priorities that need to be central to the Government’s thinking, one of which is caution with regulation and taxation. If we are going to increase those things, we need to make sure that we know where the end point is, so that people have confidence in the Government’s relationship with taxation, and equally so with regulation. We also need long-term consistency. Businesses do not have the time to follow every in-and-out of politics.”
“When John Swinney was finance secretary, he and I had repeated discussions about that, and he went through various contortions to explain to me that the 85 per cent floor was being met when it was not. In fact, the formula was changed to include council tax and then the councils that received the most were chopped, so of course, the 85 per cent floor was possible after all of that. However, the effect is that Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and some other councils are being short-changed by the formula. I urge the finance secretary to use his charm and skill to persuade those in the Government and in COSLA to change the formula so that we have fairness in the system.”
“We see that in relation to additional support needs, looked-after children and care- experienced children and in many other areas. We also see it on our streets. Look at the state of Glasgow. My son is now a student in Glasgow and I see the state of Glasgow’s streets. I see the closure of libraries across the country and leisure facilities that are in desperate need of investment, with many closing, including in Perth. There are a number of different problems. The minister sees all of them. The issue that I will raise is the age-old problem of the disparity in funding between one local authority and the next. Some councils, such as Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and City of Edinburgh Council, have struggled for years to even reach the 85 per cent threshold that the Government promised years ago, back in 2012.”
“I love Ross Greer’s eternal optimism about the reform of local government finance. He and I have sat through numerous working groups and consultations where absolutely nothing has happened but there has been lots of talk. I hope that one day I will share his optimism and that we will get a true reform of the system, because it is outdated—there is no doubt about that. The minister knows that local governments have, for many years, been starved of necessary funding. He will see that in his constituency casework and in his local community. Local governments have been retreating to their statutory responsibilities. The spend-to-save element and preventative measures are increasingly put to the side as they try to meet their legal obligations, but even then they struggle to do so.”
“The order confirms the distribution to individual councils, and the proposals reflect the crucial role that local authorities and their employees continue to play in our communities. I move, That the Parliament agrees that the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2025 [draft] be approved. 15:05”
“The full list of changes can be found in the report to the 2025 order. The Government recognises the financial challenges that local authorities across Scotland— and indeed, the whole public sector—are facing. The fiscal constraints that we share emphasise the need to focus urgently on improving the delivery of public services, designed around the needs and interests of the people and communities of Scotland. We must also continue to press the UK Government for additional funding for our shared priorities and pressures, including full funding for the changes in employer national insurance contributions. The Budget (Scotland) (No 4) Bill, which Parliament passed on Tuesday, ensured that total funding from the Scottish Government to local government next year will increase in cash terms and real terms.”
“Willie Rennie: The 85 per cent floor is specified in the Scottish public finance manual, which is produced by the Scottish Government, so it is Government policy. Ivan McKee: That work is done with COSLA. However, if the member wants to address specifics, I am happy to pick those up separately with him. There remains a further £155 million of revenue funding that will be notified to local authorities once the distribution has been discussed and agreed with COSLA. That, alongside the £144 million for employer national insurance contributions, will be included for approval in the 2026 order. Specific revenue funding, amounting to more than £271 million, is paid directly by the relevant policy areas under separate legislation. The 2025 order also seeks approval for more than £618 million of changes to funding allocations for 2024-25.”
“How is the 85 per cent floor calculated now? Does it include council tax? Does it exclude the biggest beneficiaries of the revenue system? Changing the formula in previous years has caused significant disadvantage to areas such as Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh. Is that still the case? Ivan McKee: I recognise the member’s specific local interest in how that calculation is done. Of course, it is COSLA that does the work to assess how to distribute that funding. If the member wants anything more specific on that, I would be happy to write to him. Willie Rennie: Will you take a further intervention? Ivan McKee: Sure. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Through the chair, Mr Rennie.”
“To follow on from Michael Marra’s question, I am interested in how the £15 million amount was alighted on. If the plan that is developed by the university indicates that more money is required in order to secure a smooth transition, will the minister make the argument to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and the First Minister that more money should be made available to avoid big job losses? Graeme Dey: As I said to Michael Marra, the announcement earlier this week was predicated on an approach that seeks to provide the University of Dundee with breathing space to produce a credible plan for its recovery. As I also said to Michael Marra, on the back of that information—I have other information coming forward—the SFC will assess what is put in front of it and consider how we will proceed from there.”
“I understand that there is provision for the tribunal process to be utilised in England, and I believe that it should be applied here as well. This is an incredibly important issue. A lot of people are feeling very vulnerable just now. I hear about many cases of people living in what are actually holiday homes—they do not receive bin collections, they are not on the voting register and they do not pay council tax. Those people are all living on the edge of society. They think that they live in their homes, but they do not officially live in residential homes. That is where the nub of the problem is. I welcome the fact that the Government is doing a review of the sector. It needs radical change, because my experience so far is that current processes are wholly inadequate. 13:23”
“It was underresourced, which is a frequent state for many local authorities, but it was also passive in terms of how it applied the licensing process and the original planning process. I understand that it has many challenges across the piece, but there are clearly incomplete powers and underresourced licensing teams. Murdo Fraser’s point about tribunals is valid. We need to look at a tribunal process and make sure that there is a vehicle for residents to be able to raise their concerns at an affordable price through an official channel, rather than having to use the ramshackle processes that exist at present. That may drive changes in the wider sector and improve the process. Even if the tribunal is not used very often, it will bring some discipline and order into the application of the process.”
“Is it a holiday home or a residence? Are people staying there all year round? Do people understand that difference before they purchase their home? There are issues around poor maintenance and the distribution of statements—people frequently do not receive their statements. As Mark Ruskell has just alighted on, when there are power cuts, they are considered as commercial customers rather than individual residents, and their vulnerability is not highlighted in the power company’s system. I pay credit to Murdo Fraser for securing this debate. I was impressed with the authoritative way in which he provided great detail and knowledge on the issue, and with his clear dedication to try to resolve it. At Ladybank, we took the issue up with the local authority, but it was very passive about it.”
“Oliver Mundell got to the nub of the issue when he said that the owners of such homes feel that they, rather then the owners of the sites, are vulnerable. That is the crux of the problem. In my constituency, there is Annsmuir park, which is near Ladybank. The owners of the site have been appalling. The site’s maintenance and issues around drainage and electricity have frequently been reported to me and my colleague Wendy Chamberlain. The site is split—it is partly a holiday park and partly a residential park—but the poor relationship between the owners of the mobile homes and the owners of the site is long standing. It is important to call the owners out when they have poor practice, because it is important that they improve their practice in the future. As we have heard today, a common problem of such poor practice concerns misselling.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the number of police officer and police staff working days lost due to mental health illness has risen in recent years. (S6O-04358)”
“We should be looking to use some of those revenues and funds for investment in local communities to make sure that the funds have a lasting legacy that outlasts the projects themselves, so that people can see longer-term benefits for their areas. We will support the LCM today, but I hope that the minister will take on board the arguments about wider benefits and community benefit. 16:59”
“The area that requires a much more substantial change is what we use community benefit funds for. Many communities have benefited significantly from community facilities such as astroturf pitches, village halls and the like, which are good things and they require to be invested in. However, only so many astroturf pitches can be built in communities. There is a crying need for improvement in infrastructure and in roads and housing in certain communities—particularly in the Highlands and Islands, where we will be installing not just wind turbines but pump storage facilities that will put quite a lot of pressure on the local road network and increase demand for housing.”
“I want to return to the points that I made in the debate two weeks ago about the use of community benefit funds and licensing revenues. We need to consider several questions. First, how much do we require from the companies? My colleague Angus MacDonald wants to increase the £5,000 per megawatt installed capacity to a higher level and he has a case for that. We need to make sure that it is not so much that it discourages development, but that there is capacity to increase it. There is also a question about who we do it with. Will it be done through community equity and community ownership, or should the funds be given to local authorities or other vehicles for delivery? After Tom Arthur’s statement earlier this week, we should take the opportunity to explore community wellbeing in more detail.”
“I hope that, in the long run, we will see changes to the legislative processes in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. One of the amendments that was passed in the House of Lords that does not affect the LCM was won by one of our members, who secured an amendment on community energy, which is incredibly important. It will mean that GB Energy is required to collaborate with local communities on boosting local economies, jobs and investment for community energy projects, which is a good thing. We will support the LCM today because GB Energy could be broadly a good thing. It is led by Jürgen Maier, who is a dynamic force. He was previously chief executive officer at Siemens and he knows the territory. He will make a difference and we should support things that make a difference.”
“It is very Edward Mountain to consider a legislative consent motion that is based on an amendment in the House of Lords on the Great British Energy Bill to be a “white-knuckle ride”. That is the kind of rock- and-roll life that he lives. However, Edward Mountain made a valid point about the legislative process. The Parliament gets a lot of things wrong, but the one thing that it does pretty well is the legislative process. It takes a long time for consultation, pre-stage 1 reports, stage 2 amendments and then, in the chamber, stage 3. It takes as long as it takes. I have experienced the Westminster system and, to be fair, that is a white- knuckle ride. It is rushed and there is not enough time to consider all the consequences. That is what we are feeling today, to be fair to the minister.”