1st March 2021: A Week in Parliament

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Next year, 2022, will be the Queen’s platinum jubilee. An amazing achievement. All MPs and Lords recently got a letter from the Speaker which confirmed that £175,000 will be spent on new monuments and sculptures at Westminster to celebrate this. Fortunately, it also confirms that no public funds will be used. Given the pandemic, that is only right. The letter then suggests that MPs can donate to pay for the sculptures. I think I will pass on that one – if I am donating money I would rather it goes to help people in need rather than a memorial to the Queen. It might be the Scottishness in me but I am also uneasy about celebrating an event that is a full year away. So, I hope the Queen does achieve what will be an unbelievably long period in her role.

Anas Sarwar

Congratulations to Anas Sarwar on becoming the new leader of the Labour Party in Scotland. He is the first BAME person and Muslim leader of any of the major parties so it really is a significant achievement. I wish him well in a personal capacity but of course, hope he is not too successful on the political front! I noted that just after Sir Kier Starmer has confirmed his support for nuclear weapons, Anas says Scottish Labour’s position of opposition to nuclear weapons will not change. This sums up Labour and Scotland’s position within the Union in one go – it doesn’t matter what we think, it is London that decides on these key issues

E10 Fuel

I have lobbied the UK Government for a few years to introduce mandatory E10 fuels. This means having petrol blended with 10% of biofuels instead of the 5% current mix. Engines are actually designed to run on this mix, and it is standard in Europe. I am pleased that at last, the UK Government is going to do this. The Transport Secretary has confirmed this and suggests the reduction in emissions is the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars a year off the roads. That aspect shows how significant this small step is but also why it should have been done much sooner

Elections

The next Scottish parliamentary election is just 10 or so weeks away. I would urge as many voters as possible to sign up for a postal vote so that to cast your vote as easily as possible. I was intrigued to see that Labour has agreed with the Tories at the local council level, that they believe the election should be postponed. I look forward to them also raising their concerns to Boris Johnson about the local elections going ahead in England and Wales. Similarly, Labour will be working with colleagues to call for the elections to the Welsh Senedd with a Labour Government to be postponed. Surely a “four-nation approach” is needed? Surely it cannot just be Scotland where it isn’t safe to hold an election? It certainly cannot be that the current opinion polls seem to suggest a good outcome for the SNP?

22nd February 2021: A Week in Parliament

Prison Covid-19 Outbreak

It was a real concern to hear of the outbreak of covid-19 at Kilmarnock Prison. It was so severe that more cases were recorded at the prison than the rest of East Ayrshire put together at that point. It shows how important it is to have the correct controls in place. Within the jail, clearly, the conditions are ripe for the virus to spread. But of course, prison guards are travelling back to their homes so are at risk of then increasing community spread. I have spoken to some people who work there and have submitted a number of enquiries on the healthcare and covid precautions that have been operating. It does also highlight another cohort of workers, those within the prison who can claim to be considered as part of the targeted vaccination programme and this is also an avenue I am exploring.

Governance

Rightly, there are always debates about the quality of Government in Scotland and also at Westminster. It would be fair to say I have a bias in this respect. However, it was interesting to see that the National Farming Union President Minette Batters state she would rather be talking to Fergus Ewing than George Eustice at the moment and that the SNP Government has the most constructive thinking on future agriculture policy. She also praised the Scottish Government for ensuring that farming is sustainable. When this is the voice of English farming, it is praise indeed. However, we need to remember that the internal market bill could still be used to scupper future Scottish Government support for sustainable farming if Westminster pulls their support and decrees that means the Scottish Government is giving an unfair advantage for Scottish farmers within the UK market.

Recess

I have just finished a week’s recess from Westminster. However, given I have been working from home, the recess isn’t really different from any other working day. The only difference being the main question sessions and debates don’t take place. However, I have been on such a bad run in the question ballot system anyway, that I haven’t been asking as many questions in the virtual chamber. Stil,l it allowed a bit of a catch up on emails and I still had plenty of meetings and my virtual surgery appointments.

Virtual Life

As I write I am looking forward to my first virtual street surgery. As I cannot do my regular street surgeries, door knocking, I have targeted an area the way I otherwise would and have offered virtual appointments. I am also doing a business targeted surgery and looking to engage in a virtual meeting with the Kilmarnock Business Association. While the successful rollout of the vaccination continues and gives us hope for the promised normality to return, I have a feeling I will need to continue with these virtual events for the foreseeable future. A reminder too that all staff are still working and routine appointments can still be made – just get in touch with my office for assistance.

A Week in Parliament

Ayrshire Growth Deal

In order to make the Ayrshire Growth Deal work better, the 3 Ayrshire Councils have requested that the UK Government provide their funding share over 10 years instead of 15. The Scottish Government have committed to this. I submitted a written question to the Scottish Secretary asking what discussions he has had with the Chancellor on the matter. “Lots” was his answer. When I pinned it down in a follow up question, it turns out be a huge co-incidence that he actually wrote to the Chancellor the very day he answered my previous question! It shouldn’t take my questions to make the Scottish Secretary write to the Chancellor, but hopefully this means there will be a good outcome.

Chagos Islands

Approximately 50 years ago, the UK forcibly evicted the population of the Chagos Islands off their lands to make way for a US naval base. Not only was this illegal – and arguably genocide with regards forced removal – it has been confirmed that as the UK de-colonised the Chagos Island ownership was actually part of Mauritius. This has been confirmed once more by a ruling from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a United Nations Body. The UK response? They refuse to recognise it. Yet again, the UK instead of being “Global Britain” looks set to be an international lawbreaker again.

Tory Cronyism

The UK Government has no shame when it comes to appointments. Another role – Chair of the Office for Students has went to a former Tory MP. Hardly likely to be too critical of the Government then. No wonder, following some of the disgraceful direct awards of PPE contracts to friends and donors that one of my colleagues has introduced the Ministerial Interest (Emergency Powers) Bill to try and curb their powers.

One example was a £30 million contract awarded to a former neighbour of Health Secretary Matt Hancock following an initial conversation over WhatsApp. Three of the biggest contracts were awarded to a Florida-based jewellery company with no experience of supplying PPE, a tiny vermin-control operation called PestFix valued at just £19,000, and an opaque family office owned through a tax haven. Some people at least do well out of a catastrophe.

Not Campaigning on Independence

As more powers transfer to the Scottish Parliament, by definition, the Scottish Office at Westminster should shrink. Yet the number of employees and spend on propaganda goes up year on year. Communication spend has trebled and overall expenditure is up 75%. The UK Government have also created a “Union Unit” with 50 new posts. Imagine, the Tories are now taking our tax money to hire more people to tell us how good the Union really is.

BEIS Committee

The committee I am on is now holding an enquiry into heat decarbonisation – how we change from using methane gas in our central heating to other technologies. It is fascinating, and a real eye opener that it is expected to cost £250bn. This cost probably explains why the UK Government has had its head in the sand on the subject.

A Week in Parliament

Emma and Nicole

My heart goes out to the family of Emma Robertson Coupland and Nicole Anderson. It must be made all the harder that the perpetrator was someone who had loved them. Part of the family. It is such a difficult concept to grasp. Each one killed while going about their daily business. It is hard to imagine how the family can heal but I wish them all the best at these difficult times.

I also have to pay tribute to the emergency services who attended – paramedics and the police. They do this, not knowing where the attacker is and whether there is a further danger to life. It is also a minor insight into the harrowing scenes and trauma that these people see as part of their daily lives.

Vaccination

The vaccination programme continues and Scotland is meeting its targets. There has been much mischief-making by politicians playing up how much better it is going in England. However, as always, like for like comparisons tell a different story. For a start, the UK Government have been measuring patients offered the vaccination for care homes, not the actual jags received. The Scottish Government focussed completely on the recommended priority groupings of care home residents whereas the UK Government moved earlier for the mass vaccination centres which are better for headline numbers. When I highlighted to the UK Government Minister for Vaccinations that they were behind in tackling care homes, he claimed with no proof that Scotland has larger care homes so it is easier. It is a fact from scientific modelling that the approach in Scotland will save more lives. That is more important than interim statistics on vaccination numbers.

EU Exports

Exports to the EU are down 60%. This is terrible for business in Scotland. 62% of good manufactured in Scotland go the EU so this must be devasting for several businesses. We often hear that 60% of Scottish trade is with England so Scottish Independence would jeopardise that. And the current Brexit issues demonstrate this. However, if 62% of manufactured goods actually go to the EU, then it shows that this is actually a far more important market. It also shows that so much of the other trade with England is service-based and therefore not directly affected by border arrangements. Meanwhile, the UK Government need to get a real grip on this and the ongoing hold-ups at Dover.

Vat Refund

A constituent had contacted my office about the fact he felt he should have received a VAT return on caravan site fees he had paid in advance. I worked with the site owner and got information from Government and HMRC that confirmed the Vat could be reclaimed. So because of my constituent and our office, several other caravan owners at the caravan park will now be receiving a £180 VAT refund. Clearly not a fortune, but every little helps as they say, and it is unusual to do something that helps non-constituents as well as constituents.

A Week in Parliament

Boris Johnson Visit

It was incredible that during lockdown, Boris Johnson thought it was essential to come to Scotland to visit a vaccination manufacturer and various testing sites. Apparently, it was time to personally deliver his “thanks” and was described as morale-boosting. The reality was it was a political stunt. Even his advisors briefed the media in advance his trip was part of a plan to promote the benefits of the union. Bizarrely, Kier Starmer, the Labour leader, also agreed the visit was justified. The Scottish Tories then tried to compare it to Nicola Sturgeon visiting a hospital. Except she did it in December, pre lockdown. The amount of people that have to travel with Johnson is what makes this trip a disgrace. All he had to do was wait a few weeks, but this sums up his reckless attitude to the whole covid pandemic.

Travel Quarantine

A year late, the UK Government have decided now is the time to control our borders regards international travel. As Great Britain is an island, we had the best chance possible of controlling the virus, the way Australia and New Zealand have managed. But no, the UK Government refused to act. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary claims she wanted tougher border controls in March 2020 but was over-ruled. The UK Government need to provide answers. This is yet another example that decisions made in Westminster hugely affect Scotland.

Vaccine Rollout

The vaccination rollout is continuing at pace. In Scotland, the SNP Scottish Government has been sticking to the priority schedule of care home residents and care home staff first. In England, the UK Government started trying to hit more people rather than concentrate on the tricky logistics. This is why some politicians are arguing Scotland is behind. The reality is that the approach here will save more lives by getting the most vulnerable vaccinated first.

I would also remind people that the first vaccination jag is just the start. It takes three-weeks to build some resistance, then for fuller affect the second jag is required. So, in the meantime, we must continue to follow all the social distancing rules and keep our health protection measures in place.

Vaccination Wars

To be fair to the UK Government, they have done well in securing supplies of the various vaccinations to date. It is not surprising though that with such worldwide demands, that the suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand. It was therefore very unsightly for the EU to talk about imposing export restrictions on the Pfizer vaccinations going to Northern Ireland. After fighting so hard to protect Northern Ireland and the peace agreement through Brexit, it defied logic to try and utilise the vaccination as a political instrument. Luckily they reversed it within an hour. However, unwise actions such as these play straight into the hands of the arch Brexiteers as “proof” of why we are better off out of the EU. It also helps distract from the reality of the business pressures due to Brexit.

A Week in Parliament

2021

Happy New Year. Unfortunately, it has started the way it finished except for even tighter restrictions due to covid-19. However, there is no doubt it was necessary. The Scottish Government had already planned for Tier 4 but tightened this up further. Compare this to the UK Government, who had to “create” a Tier 4; added some areas in; said schools had to return on January 4th; made them return against all recommendations and then panicked and announced lockdown and school closures. The contrast in governance is an eye-opener.

Virtual Parliament

It was a sign of how bad things are in England (London really), when the UK Government put in place a hybrid Parliament for its recall, allowing virtual participation. Bizarrely, they still will not allow remote voting. This means that while I and hundreds of MPs may register for a proxy vote, we need to have our proxy in Westminster to cast votes. They have also moved to a hybrid Parliament for the lockdown period, in the main chamber but not Westminster Hall, again defying logic. I will be trying to work from home as much as possible given that I can still participate in the main debates if selected.

The “Deal”

The UK Government’s tactics were clear – get something agreed – anything will do and then present it to parliament as a choice between this deal or no deal. Labour fell for it hook line and sinker – Keir Starmer destroyed the deal in his speech while saying Labour would actively vote for it. The proposals were so bad the SNP voted against. [Technically we were voting against enabling legislation as the UK Government had already signed the actual international treaty.] The reality is that this “deal” is a minor step up to a no-deal – there are no tariffs added to goods but that’s about it. The paperwork and additional checks are a formalisation of what would have happened under a no-deal. Incredibly, many Scottish fishermen will have less access to some fishing stocks than they do at present! The west coast fishermen who the UK Government completely ignored, are struggling to get their products to market. Even Marks and Spencer have warned the additional paperwork and checks is causing harm. I would say you couldn’t make this stuff up, but it was foreseeable with such an incompetent Government.

Trump

Leaders should lead responsibly. The scenes in the US as Trump Supporters tried to take over the Congress Buildings and overthrow democracy were shocking. Incited completely by Trump, who said at the rally beforehand he would march them down to the Capitol buildings. Obviously, as a blowhard, he didn’t. He then hid and watched proceedings, while his so-called attempts for calm just inflamed those “believers” more. Good riddance to him. It is shameful that this is the man Boris Johnson and his cronies wanted re-elected. The company you keep says a lot about your integrity.

Vaccination

On a positive note, it is good to see the vaccination programmes kicking in, and a third vaccination approved for use.

A Week in Parliament

One Year On

Astonishingly, it is now a year since my last general election. If this parliament follows suit like the previous ones, then this means I am already halfway through my term! Hopefully not, but the past year has flown in. Clearly, covid-19 has been the story of 2020. In parliamentary terms, nothing much has happened. Jonson’s “oven-ready deal” certainly wasn’t oven-ready nor appetising to the EU. embarrassingly, the Tories now argue the “oven-ready deal” in fact referred to the withdrawal agreement which was subsequently signed with the EU - this is of course nonsense. They also seem to want to forget that the then International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, had said that a free trade deal with the EU would the “easiest in human history”. By the time this column goes to print a deal may have been signed. But if so, it will be flimsy, rotten and certainly not easy. So many deadlines have come and gone. There has been so much bluff and bluster and time wasted that borders on the criminal. And if the Tories lead us to a No Deal scenario, that really will be criminal.

Opinion Polls

Another political story of the year has been that support for independence appears to have been buoyed by the chaos of Westminster. 15 opinion polls in a row have seen independence as the most popular option. I am well aware that opinion polls only show a trend at the time of the questions being asked. Outcomes are never known until votes were counted. However, what is clear is that many more people are thinking about independence and that Scotland would be better served as an independent country. With regards, a referendum, the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace let his guard down and spoke about the next one – which shows that despite what they say, the Tories believe another one is inevitable. Hopefully, as Douglas Ross has acknowledged many also believe a referendum will be lost.

Covid Restrictions

While moving into Tier 3 is better than Tier 4, it is clear there are many restrictions on us, notably the hospitality trade with pubs still closed unless they do food and alcohol prohibited even with meals. For a big step forward to normality, we need to be in Tier 2. However, I am concerned that the cases in East Ayrshire are going the wrong way. Rates are still better than when we went into Tier 4, but there have been recent increases. It is starker when the infection rates in the rest of Scotland are reducing. At the time of writing, East Ayrshire has the third-worst infection rate in Scotland, and North Ayrshire marginally worse with the second highest. I feel like a broken record, but the only way things will improve if we can all stick to the regulations and guidance.

Vaccine

At least the rollout of the first approved vaccine gives hope of getting covid under control and is a huge positive step forward. What a relief and hopefully the gamechanger we expect.

A Week in Parliament

Brexit
The Brexit negotiations continue on a stop-start basis. Yet again, fishing seems to be integral to what is going on. Why are the needs of a small cohort of fisherman the No.1 issue? Essentially the rest of the UK is to have a worse deal so that a limited number of fishing quota owners can make even more money for themselves. Meanwhile more local fishermen such as those who operate in the Firth of Clyde are potentially being penalised with tariffs and issues of exports. So, they will suffer as well as the rest of us, just for the North Sea fishermen to benefit. It is completely bonkers.  

Killie FC

As a politician, I often rail against conspiracy theories. However, like any Killie fan who listened to the SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster rail against Killie for the covid-19 outbreak at the club, it seemed obvious the book would be thrown at Killie. The award of a 3-0 defeat then was really disappointing but sadly not surprising. I have read the ruling – one breach was the pre-match meal where the players were 1m apart as per hospitality guidelines. The SPFL said that didn’t matter and Killie should have stuck to 2m distancing. The actual SPFL guidance doesn’t stipulate this though. While Killie stated everyone on the team bus wore masks, the ruling also argues that “there is no formal vouching of same”. I.e. we don’t believe you. What kind of judgement is this? Also, with regards, 2m social distancing the verdict states “Every school child in Scotland should be aware of it.” It is unprofessional to be so dismissive. No wonder fans and the club alike feel hard done by.

I am a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Scottish Sport. I am aware that Neil Doncaster has been invited to a meeting of the group. He hasn’t even had the decency to respond to the original invite or any follow-ups. Yet, he is quick enough to run to the media to complain about the Scottish Government. Is he really the best man for the job?

Live Animal Exports

The UK Government is looking to ban the exporting of live animals for fattening or slaughter from English ports. I appreciate many animal rights activists will approve of such a decision. It is not a process I am entirely comfortable with, but it is a reality that animals get moved around. The important thing is this is done so in the best of conditions and not unduly long journeys without breaks. This decision could have a massive impact on Scottish farmers and sows yet again, that Westminster doesn’t care about the impact elsewhere – instead, they see an “easy win” post-Brexit politically and that is more important to them than the rural economy of Scotland. Bizarrely though they are allowing the transport of animals for breeding purposes. This shows the hypocrisy of their arguments because if the ban is for animal welfare reasons then it should be uniform.

A Week in Parliament

Foreign Aid Budget

Less than a year into Government and the Tories have deliberately broken a manifesto commitment – the Chancellor has cut the foreign aid budget from the commitment of 0.7% of gross income to just 0.5%. Now we all know these are difficult times – as the gross income goes down, the budget automatically reduces anyway, but to do a deliberate cut is shameful. I know there can be a sentiment that charity begins at home. However, Foreign Aid can also help bring stability and security to countries which is beneficial to UK security and reduces the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers. Cutting the foreign aid budget during the pandemic will reduce access to vaccinations in many countries – it is safe to say the Chancellor is making a decision will result in thousands of deaths that could be prevented.

Virtual Parliament

Despite a national lockdown in England and many areas of Scotland in Tier 4, the Tory Government has refused to extend the virtual parliament to cover debates. It has meant that while I would rather not travel at times, I have had to do so to cover part of my Spokesperson role. However, some MPs are excluded completely from debates as they cannot travel, sometimes to protect family members. The Tory Government’s only concession was that for MPs who got certification that they were “extremely clinically vulnerable” then they would be able to participate virtually. This had lots of connotations – it would mean MPs being willing to state publicly that they are so clinically ill. This would lead to some public debate and speculation about what their condition is. A more sensible amendment that would allow MPs to participate virtually for “public health reasons” was not accepted by the Government. Their intransigence is baffling – they brag about having a world-leading system and don’t use it. Meanwhile, Holyrood does, and it seems to work fine.

SNP Conference

Like all such events, this took place virtually. It is safe to say that the same passion and enthusiasm that comes from having a crowd cannot be generated online. That’s not to take away from several fantastic contributions and policy announcements. I also took part in a number of speaking events which involved using yet another IT platform. I could never have envisaged myself having to use so much technology as a consequence of the pandemic! I am sure I am not alone in that aspect.

National Infrastructure Plan

The UK Government launched this, which should just cover England only. However, the document has a boast that the Internal Market Bill allows them to by-pass the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments to spend money in the other nations. This is outrageous – a national audit office report on the English Towns Fund found that too much of the money was allocated to towns who did not meet the need criteria but were chosen because they were Tory seats with small majorities. We know then that any additional spending in Scotland won’t be to help national need but political projects to help Tory areas. They are shameless!

A Week in Parliament

Why Tier 4 for East Ayrshire? 

I have to admit I was initially angry that East Ayrshire was put into Tier 4 restrictions when North Ayrshire wasn’t. However, when I studied the statistics more – there are 11 council areas put into Tier 4. The 11 have the highest transmission rates in Scotland. East Ayrshire had the 11th worst rate in Scotland. North Ayrshire’s 7-day average is much better than the other two Ayrshire authorities. So, statistics back up the decisions. My one concern though is that the lockdown is to protect the NHS and Ayrshire and Arran predicts that unless transmission rates come down, both the general and intensive care departments will have capacity issues. Given North Ayrshire relies on Crosshouse, we really need comfort they will not put bigger pressures on Crosshouse.  

Why Tier 4 at all? 

Since the start of October, there have been 1000 covid related deaths in the worst affected local authorities. Approximately 40 such deaths are in East Ayrshire. As numbers in hospital are staying steady this would suggest that the Tier 3 restrictions had stopped the spread of the virus getting any worse. However, it is still too high, so this means taking further action to lower rates. The near lockdown is severe. However, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are doing similar nationwide. My office is inundated with people making cases for why their business should remain open. I sympathise with them all, and I agree with people that sport and exercise is good for physical and mental wellbeing. However, the reality is too many people are not adhering to the rules and with so many people contracting the virus we need to minimise ways to stop it spreading. Lockdown is the most extreme way of doing so. Let us work together and beat this, especially now a vaccine is close to being rolled out.  

Ayrshire Growth Deal 

It was fantastic to see the sign off of the Ayrshire Growth Deal. This will bring welcome investment at a much-needed time as we look to rebalance the economy post covid-19.  

PM and Devolution 

Boris Johnston has called Scottish devolution a disaster and Tony Blair’s greatest mistake. I have repeatedly pointed out that the man is anti-Scottish in general and it is clear he hates the Scottish Parliament having powers to do their own thing. No wonder he is trying to do a power grab. He truly believes that Westminster should be able to tell Scotland what to do. He can’t help making these comments and why he coined the term “Jockalypse”. It is ingrained to him. 

Priti Patel 

The Prime Minster’s Standards Advisor conducted an investigation into the conduct of Priti Patel and concluded she was guilty of bullying and broke the Ministerial Code. Because Johnson refused to act on the findings he had to resign his position and Patel carries on as if nothing happened. It is clear that shouting and swearing repeatedly at staff is bullying, but she uses the politicians’ pretend apology of “sorry for causing offence”. Another illustration of the cabal running Westminster.