Darren Jones: ‘Scotland is at the heart of our Plan for Change'

The Herald Scotland

5 hours ago

By the Friday morning, I was in Scotland to get the reaction from business leaders, workers and economic experts on what the news meant for Scotland and how we could work together to implement some of the biggest pieces of public investment Scotland has ever seen.
I wanted Scotland to be the first place I visited after the Spending Review because it is so central to the whole UK Government's Plan for Change.
With an economy already worth £204 billion a year, Scotland is leading the way in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, its defence sector is essential to keeping our country safe while supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs, and of course, Scottish food and drink exports are enjoyed the world over.
Rachel Reeves delivering the spending review last weekThe power and potential of Scotland's economy is exactly why I wanted it to be at the heart of the Spending Review, right from the very start of the process.
As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, it was my job to lead negotiations with each secretary of state for their department's budget.
In the past, that process too often became a performative Whitehall dance, which saw the interests of government departments prioritised over the needs of communities across the country.
I was determined that this time should be different, and so in partnership with our fantastic Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, we shook up the system and ensured every department considered how it could serve Scotland, and how Scotland could help deliver renewal for the whole UK.
The results speak for themselves. Last Wednesday morning, before walking to the House of Commons chamber, I phoned Shona Robison, the Scottish Government Finance Secretary, to give her advance notice of the headline figure for Scotland: £9.1bn extra for Scottish public services.
That is the biggest real-terms settlement for the Scottish Government in the history of devolution.
I now hope the SNP will use that money to bring down NHS waiting lists, on which almost one in six Scots are stuck, although with the SNP having unveiled five failed NHS improvement plans in four years, this does not seem likely.
We have delivered £750 million for a UK national supercomputer, based at the University of Edinburgh, bringing the next generation of artificial intelligence to Scotland.
There is £200m in development funding for Project Acorn, to help realise the economic and environmental potential of carbon capture and storage.
Green freeports on the Cromarty Firth and the Forth will create tens of thousands of new jobs in renewable energy, supporting the just transition.
Communities across Scotland will feel the benefit of this UK Government investment, and none more so than those in the Glasgow City Region, which is why I was surprised to read the leader of Glasgow City Council suggesting that Scotland's biggest city had been sidelined.
I have huge respect for Susan Aitken and Scotland's local government leaders, but nothing could be further from the truth.
We are launching a Glasgow investment zone, focused on advanced manufacturing. It will generate at least £1.7bn of investment and create up to 18,000 jobs over 10 years, boosting the region's research and innovation economy.
On defence, we will invest £250m in the naval base at Faslane, which supports thousands of jobs on the west coast and safeguards our national security.
The Chancellor unveiled a new £250m package for FaslaneMeanwhile, communities across the wider region — including Drumchapel, Coatbridge, Greenock and Clydebank — will each get millions to bring their town centres up to scratch.
I could continue to list the monetary value of UK Government investments for Glasgow and Scotland, but I know that when it comes to changing things, power can be just as important as pounds.
Progress made in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands is proof that our big city regions can do more when they have greater control over funding and decisions in their areas.
But in Scotland, the decision to devolve power from Holyrood and empower the city regions rests firmly with the Scottish Government.
I know that Anas Sarwar and my colleagues in Scottish Labour have begun to set out plans for directly elected mayors, with powers over skills and transport, so they can turbocharge growth in their cities and regions.
This is the kind of fresh thinking that cities such as Glasgow deserve.
This is in contrast to years of the SNP centralising power in Holyrood and cutting funding to Scotland's councils.
Their failure to empower Glasgow has had a direct impact on jobs and growth.
From 2014 to 2022, the Greater Manchester economy grew by almost 50%. If the Glasgow City Region had achieved that same level of growth, it would be £7.7bn larger today.
Labour put Scotland at the heart of this Spending Review and will deliver historic levels of UK Government spending into every part of the country.
But more than a quarter of a century since the dawn of devolution, new ideas on empowering Scotland's cities and regions will help unlock the next generation of jobs and investment.
As one of Scotland's two governments, the Labour UK Government stands ready to do our part.
Darren Jones is the Labour MP for Bristol North West and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.