Mr Douglas Alexander
MP for Lothian East · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“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.”
“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 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 e…”
“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 bui…”
“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.”
“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.”
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“The hon. Gentleman is entirely right: I did fight Perth for Labour, although Perth fought back pretty effectively. I am fully aware of the contribution that the fair city of Perth makes to the economy of Scotland, and I am also very aware of the methodology that we have used, which is an objective basis on which to allocate British public funds.”
“Producing the clean energy we need is not only right for our energy security and our climate; it is the right thing to do for jobs and investment. Last week, the CBI revealed that the UK’s green economy has created more than 1 million jobs. In Scotland, the industry generated £10.2 billion and supported more than 105,000 jobs, predominantly benefiting local small and medium-sized enterprises and communities all around Scotland.”
“Look at the work being done, and the investment being made, by Iberdrola and ScottishPower. The hon. Gentleman shakes his head, but that is real investment delivering real jobs. If he would like to comment further on this issue, perhaps he would like to apologise for the abject absence of a plan from the previous Conservative Government on the North sea, which explains the fact that they lost 70,000 jobs on their watch.”
“The UK Government’s £50 million Scottish defence growth deal is a true step change for Scotland’s industrial base. It will support jobs, skills and regional growth. The deal includes £10 million for innovation facilities, both on the Clyde and in Rosyth. Where the SNP will not back Scottish industry, young people or our national security, Scottish Labour and the UK Government will step in.”
“There is no more doughty defender of, or advocate for, the Navantia yard than my hon. Friend. I was delighted to visit the yard with my hon. Friend a few weeks ago, and I congratulate the workforce on completing the Seahorse pontoon ahead of schedule. Having visited the yard, I have seen at first hand the expertise and commitment of the workforce, and of the young apprentices there. They are delivering for all of us.”
“Tackling child poverty is fundamental to the work of this Labour Government. In December, we published our ambitious and comprehensive UK-wide child poverty strategy. It sets out the steps we are taking to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to create long-term change across the United Kingdom. On its own, our decision to lift the two-child cap, which came into effect just last week, will benefit 95,000 children in Scotland.”
“First, on the conduct of the Government: the Conservatives in government pushed kids into poverty; Labour in government lifts kids out of poverty. We would have hoped for a better approach from the Scottish Government, but the fact is that there are 10,000 kids in Scotland without a home to call their own. At the same time, the challenge that was set by the previous First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was to close the educational attainment gap in Scotland—of course, education, along with employment, is the best route out of poverty—but that gap has got wider rather than narrower. What a damning indictment of the Scottish Government.”
“It is always important for the electorate to use their votes wisely, but the fact is that there are two parties that are deeply threatened by Scottish Labour’s emergence as the credible alternative to the SNP. They are, on the one hand, the Scottish National party and, on the other hand, Reform. If we think about it, their interests are completely aligned, in talking Reform up and talking Scottish Labour down. I certainly hope that people act wisely and make sure that this Scottish election is about Scotland.”
“The UK Government stand ready to provide the support needed by families in response to recent events in the middle east. The Prime Minister has set out our plan to deal with the immediate impact of the conflict on the cost of living, which includes cutting energy bills by an average of £117 per household, extending the fuel duty cut until September while closely monitoring prices at the pumps, providing £4.6 million for low-income families in Scotland who heat their homes with oil to tackle surging prices and, of course, continuing to push for de-escalation of the conflict itself.”
“I see that the Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West (Martin McCluskey), is on the Front Bench with me. I will write to the hon. Lady on exactly that matter.”
“My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. Global instability, including the recent events in Iran, has exposed the risks of relying on fossil fuel markets that the United Kingdom inevitably does not control. We are delivering on work to ensure our energy independence and thereby bring down bills for the British people for good. What we absolutely do not need right now is the added distraction of political point scoring at the expense of our national security in what is a dangerous and troubled world.”
“The difficulty with the point that the Scottish Conservatives are making is that they are in denial of their record. We lost 70,000 jobs in the North sea when the hon. Gentleman was in office. The fact is that the challenge for the North sea did not emerge in July 2024; in fact, it reflects the complete absence of a plan from the previous Government. The reality is that oil and gas will be central part of our energy mix for many years to come, and this Government recognise and understand that.”
“Economic illiteracy is not limited to the Benches of the House of Commons; it extends to the First Minister. Let us take the example of Berwick Bank, the largest offshore wind farm in Europe, which was paid for in no small measure thanks to the actions of a UK Government. The fact is that when the First Minister and the hon. Gentleman make their claim that the affordability of renewables is somehow determined by the Scottish taxpayer, they ignore the contribution paid by UK bill payers. The level of investment in renewables in Scotland is a direct consequence of its being part of the UK energy market.”
“There goes the SNP talking up Reform again. When will SNP Members learn that it is possible to be anti-nationalist without being anti-Scottish? That party promised a publicly owned energy company almost a decade ago. Maybe when the hon. Gentleman next gets to his feet, he can tell us where that energy company went.”
“The UK Government’s industrial strategy set out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite the global uncertainty we are living through. That includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy. Our free trade agreements with India and the EU will have huge benefits for Scottish businesses, and of course Scotland will benefit hugely from the defence dividend created by our increased investment in our national security. This is a Government backing growth and jobs in Scotland.”
“This is an incredibly difficult time for the Alexander Dennis workers and their families, many of whom face an uncertain future through no fault of their own. It is, alas, yet another example of failure on the part of the Scottish Government, who sent the majority of a £45 million funding pot for zero emission buses to China, blocking comparative bids to build and invest in Falkirk. While Labour mayors have shown what is possible across the rest of the UK, stepping forward with bus orders and backing British manufacturing when it mattered, that is an example not so much of being “stronger for Scotland”, as of being stronger for China.”
“Unsurprisingly, I find myself wholeheartedly in agreement with my hon. Friend. Glasgow is the city of my birth, and it has been badly neglected on any objective measure by the Scottish Government in recent years. Scottish local authorities have been starved of cash over decades by the SNP-led Scottish Government, who have hoarded powers and resources at the centre in Edinburgh, to the detriment of Scotland’s local authorities and cities. People make Glasgow, and Glasgow and its people deserve a whole lot better.”
“Before we get to the Conservatives’ plan, perhaps we could start with their apology. What about the £22 billion black hole that was left in the public finances by the Conservatives? We are still waiting for the apology.”
“If SNP Members want guidance on how to deal with energy costs, they could look at the £100 million emergency package that was announced by Scottish Labour only a few days ago. I must express concern, however, because if they are serious about energy, perhaps they could tell the House what happened to the publicly owned energy company that was promised so long ago by Nicola Sturgeon, because the Scottish public are still waiting.”
“I certainly agree that Scotland needs change. There has been an industrial level of waste by the Scottish Government in relation to money. Half a billion pounds has been spent on ferries; the First Minister went to Stornoway last week, but this week the boat that he travelled on broke down. A third of the CalMac fleet was out of commission over Easter. Whether it is the Scottish Government’s waste of resources, their failure on public services or their abject failure on economic growth, Scotland needs and deserves change.”
“The last time I checked, it was actually Scottish Conservative votes in Holyrood that sustained Alex Salmond’s Government in power, so we are not going to take any lectures from the Conservatives about somehow being the SNP’s little helpers. The reality is that Reform is the SNP’s little helper in this election, and after the comments made last night, it is pretty clear that the SNP is Reform’s little helper too.”
“The hon. Lady’s question tells us everything we need to know about the base politics of the SNP, which suggest that those who are pro national security are somehow anti-Scottish. That helps to explain why the SNP Government were not willing to fund the welding centre on the Clyde, which would have delivered hundreds of apprenticeships and secure jobs for decades to come. It explains why they were are weak on our own defence, supporting unilateral nuclear disarmament notwithstanding the arrival of Vladimir Putin’s ambitions on the international stage. If Scotland wants to benefit from being part of a strong and secure United Kingdom, I hope that we will decisively reject the SNP on 7 May.”
“Last month, alongside the Chancellor, I met oil and gas industry leaders to discuss the impact of geopolitical volatility on energy prices. The Chancellor reaffirmed her commitment to backing Britain’s oil and gas industry, recognising its pivotal role in supporting growth and jobs, especially in Scotland. The Chancellor has been clear that she wants the energy profits levy to come to an end, but the crisis in the middle east has had real-time consequences on oil and gas prices, as we can all see, and it is right that we respond to that robustly.”
“I respectfully point out that it was the Conservative Government who introduced the EPL. Why did they do so? They did it in order to deal with excess profits generated by a geopolitical crisis. The conflict in the middle east that we are living through at the moment makes the case for dealing with excess profits from some of the largest energy companies in the world.”
“May I pay generous tribute to my hon. Friend for her tireless efforts on behalf of her constituents in relation to the challenge faced by the Mossmorran workforce? She has been a powerful and consistent advocate for the workforce and for the changes that we needed to see. That is why I am proud that the UK Government have been actively marketing the site to potential investors and stand ready, as she says, to invest up to £9 million to secure a successful future for the site and support the local economy.”
“The UK Government are working closely with the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland. Since taking office, we have provided the Scottish Government with a record budget settlement, reversing austerity and years of underfunding and ensuring that communities get the support they deserve. I met the Deputy First Minister earlier this month. Labour, as the party of devolution, is already delivering an extra £11 billion for the Scottish Government’s budget, £120 million of investment for Grangemouth and a defence dividend for Rosyth and Faslane.”
“My hon. Friend raises an important point for not just her constituents but many others. Although animal health is a devolved responsibility, I am troubled—although not altogether surprised—to learn that the Scottish Government have chosen to diverge from the approach taken across the rest of the UK and indeed in Europe, with all the consequent difficulties she describes. The Office for the Internal Market produced a report on this issue in 2025 and recognised that some businesses, such as larger livestock auctions, could face higher costs if the system were not managed well. My hon. Friend can none the less be assured that the UK Government at least remain committed to seamless trade within the United Kingdom.”
“The UK Government recently launched an HIV action plan for England with the aim of ending new HIV transmissions by the end of the decade, and our recent HIV testing week has helped to build public knowledge and understanding so that we can reconnect thousands with the healthcare they need, reduce stigma and, crucially, identify undiagnosed cases. While healthcare is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, we support any initiatives that ensure that people across the United Kingdom get the testing they need.”
“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the characteristic grace and generosity with which he asked his question. I can assure him that it was a long-planned trip to establish relations, which, frankly, should have been established some time ago by the Government in which he served. We are none the less very proud of our defence relationship with New Zealand, and I look forward to being with Anas in Paisley on Friday. On the substance of the right hon. Gentleman’s question, I commend him for his advocacy over many years.”
“Many of us know, from the experience of family, friends and others, about the difficulty of many charging stations across Scotland, which causes the range anxiety of which the hon. Lady speaks, particularly in rural areas. The new electric vehicle excise duty introduces a fairer approach to sharing the costs generated by all vehicle drivers through wear and tear on roads and congestion. As a former Transport Secretary, I know that, as we transition to electric vehicles, it is necessary to look at the appropriate taxation of electric vehicles. While those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those who live in urban areas, EV drivers are also more likely to have a dedicated home charger, which allows access to the lowest charging costs, thereby ensuring that EVs remain the cheaper, greener choice. None the less, I assure the hon.”
“First, as I should have done in response to the question from the former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), I associate myself with his remarks in relation to the late Jeane Freeman. She was a public servant of distinction who served in both the Scottish Cabinet and the Scottish Parliament for a number of years. The SNP spokesperson talked about this being a difficult few weeks; the terrible truth is that we have had a difficult couple of decades under the SNP. Whether it is the SNP’s failure to build ferries in relation to transport, falling education standards, or its inability to get a grip on waiting times, the real issue of concern to Scotland is avoiding a third decade of SNP failure.”
“The hon. Gentleman talks about sad truths; the sad truth is that one in seven young Scots between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in employment, education or training. The Scottish Government, in which he served, also uphold another sad truth: it is hard to think of a single area of Scottish public life over the past 19 years where we have seen an improvement. Scottish schools used to be the envy of the world, but the hon. Gentleman’s Government have delivered falling standards. The Scottish national health service, with brilliant staff, contrasts very badly with the level of progress on waiting lists that is being made by colleagues down here. Whether it is because of being weak on defence, inadequate on further education colleges, or generally just a secret and inadequate Government, there is a whole lot of change coming in May, I hope.”
“Scotland is at the heart of keeping the UK secure at home and strong abroad. As has been referenced already, just last week I visited Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, working to strengthen our defence partnerships and increase export opportunities for the Scottish defence industry. That defence dividend has already delivered record orders worth £10 billion for the Clyde shipyards, new investments of £340 million in Rosyth and £250 million in Faslane, and a contract of £453 million for Leonardo in Edinburgh.”
“Not for the first time, I find myself in agreement with my hon. Friend. The UK Labour Government have committed to the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war, totalling £270 billion in this Parliament alone. In contrast, the SNP-led Scottish Government’s position on public funding for defence is risking jobs, skills and investment in Scotland. Despite record funding provided by the UK Government, they are weak on defence and dismal on further education. Scotland deserves better than a third decade of a failed SNP Government.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his question. My own grandfather worked as an engineer in Glasgow, so I appreciate the proud heritage of which he speaks. The Government’s defence industrial strategy will deliver a record boost for Scotland’s economy, creating highly skilled jobs for years to come. Alas, when the SNP-led Scottish Government stepped back, it took the UK Labour Government to step in and give young people the welding skills that they needed. As we mark the fourth anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the security challenges facing NATO are clear for almost all of us to see, yet the Scottish Government remain committed to unilateral nuclear disarmament.”
“I had the chance to visit the Leonardo facility with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in recent weeks and saw for myself the transformation it had witnessed since it was originally Ferranti, with the strong support of the UK Government behind it. The hon. Member raises a really important question. The defence prime companies in Scotland cannot get Scottish Government civil servants even to explain the policy that the First Minister announced last September. That is imperilling investment, apprenticeships and jobs in Scotland. Scotland deserves better.”
“I find myself in agreement with the hon. Gentleman. With that biggest sustained increase in defence expenditure since the cold war—not simply in Scotland, where defence supports about 12,000 Scottish jobs, but in Northern Ireland, Wales and England—there are real opportunities for a defence dividend. That is why the defence industrial strategy is UK-wide and why, notwithstanding the Scottish Government’s weakness on defence and economic support, we remain committed to that strategy.”
“First, I respectfully remind the hon. Gentleman that it was the Conservatives who brought in the energy profits levy in 2022. Oil and gas will be a central part of the energy mix in the UK for decades to come, but it is also right to recognise that there is a transition that needs to be managed and there was an abject failure by the previous Government to manage that transition. The Chancellor confirmed at the Budget that we are ending the EPL on 31 March 2030.”
“I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman had a chance to listen to what was on the radio this morning about bills and the progress being made. [ Interruption. ] Well, let us introduce some facts to the debate. This trend in the North sea did not emerge yesterday; it is a mature basin where there was a 75% reduction in production between 1999 and 2024. We have been a net importer since 2003, and we lost more than 70,000 jobs from the basin in the last 10 years of the Conservatives being in power.”
“My hon. Friend is entirely right. I had the opportunity to visit the Navantia yard in Methil just a couple of weeks ago. It is just over a year ago that we as a Labour Government stepped in to secure the future of both the Methil and Arnish yards. Since then, Navantia has announced a further £12 million of investment in the Methil site, which is just another example of what is possible when a UK Labour Government and industry work together for Scotland’s benefit.”
“It is worth reminding the hon. Gentleman that it was actually a Conservative Government who introduced the EPL. We have been clear that the EPL will come to an end in 2030. It is also worth pointing out that oil and gas in the North sea is sold into global markets, and that we lost a third of the jobs in the North sea under the Government in which he served. I am happy to listen to other voices, but the last voice that would I listen to is that of the Scottish Conservative party.”
“There is an aching gap the width of the North sea between what the hon. Member says and what the Conservatives did. The reality is that for all his conversations and protestations now about supporting Scottish oil and gas industry workers, under his Government, we lost a third of the North sea’s workforce. They failed time and again to come up with a plan. It falls to Labour once again to clean up their mess.”
“My hon. Friend and I both know that the tartan army will be out in full force supporting Scotland’s FIFA world cup campaign this summer. The UK Government are working with partners in the host countries and the Scottish Football Association to provide guidance to supporters on travel, security and consular assistance. We are determined to help everyone have a fantastic and safe world cup, hopefully beyond the group stages.”
“I commend my hon. Friend for his question. I am not sure that I’ll be coming down the road to have a pint with the right hon. Member for Aberdeen South (Stephen Flynn) any time soon. Come to think of it, I would walk 500 miles to avoid having a beer and a blether with him.”
“I respectfully point out that we qualified under a Labour Government this time, and the last time, when I was there in the Stade de France, there was a UK Labour Government.”
“The measures announced by the Chancellor at the Budget will help families right across Scotland. Scrapping the two-child limit will benefit 95,000 Scottish children. We are putting more money into the pockets of 220,000 people in Scotland through increases to the national minimum and living wage, and the triple lock pension increase will benefit around 1 million Scottish pensioners. We are also cutting energy bills by up to £300 for those most in need.”
“What is the reality? The governing philosophy of the Scottish National party is 19th-century nationalism. What is the reality of what we saw yesterday? The 19th budget from John Swinney. The idea that after 18 goes, the SNP will get it right at the 19th is frankly risible. We have the same record of failure with the SNP. If people want a new direction, they will have the chance to vote for it in May.”
“I think 19th-century nationalism is a bad prescription for Scotland, and it is also a bad prescription for Wales. We are proud of the fact that we are increasing public investment not just in rail, as we have heard today from the Transport Secretary, but more broadly across public services in every part of these islands.”
“This is literally and figuratively a deadly serious issue. As we have just heard from those on the SNP Benches, the SNP will be claiming in the coming months that this is as good as it gets for Scotland, but the reality is that its shameful record in Scotland is more than 6,800 drug deaths since it declared a public health emergency. That, let us be clear, is the worst drug-related death rate in Europe. It is a shameful failure by the Scottish Government. Despite all their claims about the budget yesterday, once again it was a missed opportunity to take a better approach. We have provided the resources, but alas we have a Scottish Government who are out of time, out of ideas and failing in terms of public health.”
“What is the reality after yesterday’s budget from the Scottish Government? The reality after 19 SNP budgets is that hundreds of thousands of us are stuck on NHS waiting lists in Scotland; over 10,000 children are waking up in temporary accommodation, with no permanent home; and councils are unable to afford even the basics. Members should look at the comments yesterday about what the Scottish Government did to local government. They do not learn, they do not understand and they are out of time.”