21st February 2022: A Week in Parliament

Norway 

Westminster had a week-long February recess, for which I was away in Norway through the Armed Forces Personnel Scheme. We visited the new base for 539 squadrons of the Royal Marine Commandos. It was fascinating seeing the way they operate and the harsh conditions they are training to survive in. They are training to operate as guerrilla warriors in the case of say, Russia, invading Norway - or elsewhere. They are based within the Arctic Circle, and I even had the “pleasure” of sleeping in a snowhole for a night which was an experience. We were shown survival skills and it is incredible the stamina these guys have and that they train to live in the Arctic conditions for weeks. We can only hope that they are not required to be deployed properly. Interestingly, when we go on these trips, there are always concerns raised in general about cuts in overall numbers of the armed services and the fact that they need more spent and better procurement on equipment. These are all aspects of the UK government pumping their money into the Trident Successor programme rather than spending it on personnel which is a self-defeating strategy.

Norway Observations Continued

One other interesting aspect of the trip is fellow MPs acknowledging how rich a country Norway is, without seeing the irony that Scotland could similarly be so wealthy as an independent country. Instead as part of the UK, the revenue was squandered on tax cuts. They then also argue Scotland is better off with the broad shoulders of the UK!

Another observation is that passport queues are back. And the Tories in general do not like passport queues, yet they knew this was an inevitable consequence of Brexit. In each passport queue, I was in, there were Scottish voices muttering “we didn’t vote for this”. How true, and a better understanding of the situation compared to the Brexiteers.

Covid/Self-Isolation

Partygate investigations continue. Johnson is still as brazen as ever, and now we know that even more donors to the Tory party are getting direct access to the UK Government as “advisors”. Basically, they are reconfirming if you are rich and donate to the Tory party, you can advise the Government on policy measures that will make you richer. This really is outrageous. Meanwhile, Johnson is using the Ukraine crisis as a photo opportunity to get an RAF plane specially diverted for his photo and then returned to base. What a waste of money and resource. Next up in his deflection tactics is abandoning self-isolation in England. Medical advice is against such a move. Think about it – Omicron may be milder, for most, more flu-like, but no self-isolation means possibly putting more vulnerable work colleagues at risk for example. It sends the wrong message, which basically says we can all do what we want and testing is then pointless. In short, it is irresponsible, but a way of Johnson getting right-wing Tories off his back and putting pressure on us in Scotland when still trying to do the right thing and follow the advice of the experts.

14th February 2022: A Week in Parliament

Above Adventure

I was delighted to visit Above Adventure, the new Climbing and Bouldering Centre at Woodstock Street, Kilmarnock [the former Grange Church]. It is testament to the commitment of the Trustees and the man determined to see it through, Dean. They must be so pleased to see it come to fruition with years of work to secure the funding and get the works undertaken. This involved dealing with covid, Brexit, rising building supply costs, and unplanned works arising from an old-listed building. Steeple works are ongoing and some additional funding is required to complete the steeple climbing space. In the meantime, let's hope the bouldering area is a great success. I recommend getting along as soon as possible - we are lucky to have such a facility in Kilmarnock. Given I was able to reach the top it proves that as well as being designed to take experts, it really does cater for all ranges including absolute beginners!

Windfall Tax

As the energy crisis has intensified, a talking point has been a windfall tax on the oil and gas companies. It sounds appealing, but Labour hasn’t actually told us how it will work. For example, profits announced this financial year by BP and Shell will fall within existing tax laws. If a new law is brought in, it will not catch these profits anyway, unless it is applied retrospectively. And retrospective tax laws are generally only applied in authoritarian states or banana republics. That said, one could be introduced to catch profits for the next financial year. There is a risk this will still scare off investment as happened with all three previous windfall taxes. This meant a short term cash boost would actually do more long term economic damage.

In a debate, I pointed out to Ed Milliband that when Labour was in power, oil prices bottomed out at $12 a barrel in 1998 rising to nearly $100 a barrel ten years later. They should have set up an oil and gas fund but instead spent the lot as it came in. A terrible waste. This is the entire problem with the North Sea oil and gas – it has been used as a cash cow all these years by Westminster.

Going forward, we do need to review the tax system for the industry. We need to look at the tax rebates companies get in terms of decommissioning and capital investment. If they are getting record profits which they argue they will re-invest then there shouldn’t be tax rebates for the capital investment.

Let’s not forget the oil and gas industry is providing at least £3.5bn extra to the Treasury for this year and next, not to mention what should now be payment of corporation tax at the higher rate they pay. The treasury should already be using their own windfall to help us, instead of giving a poxy £200 loan to billpayers. The sad reality is that despite Scotland being energy-rich in terms of resources, our households are energy poor because of UK energy policies and regulations.

7th February 2022: A Week in Parliament

Johnson Lies Continues

It seems that Johnson cannot help himself. When he gave the statement on the Sue Gray Report update, he told the lie about Starmer failing to prosecute Jimmy Saville. To think, this was when he was supposed to be showing contrition. Outrageous and straight out the Trump playbook. This is also when he was defending himself about the 12 gatherings at Downing Street, including one within his own flat which the police are now investigating. All events, which he denied knowledge of or blamed others. There should be no hiding place for him, yet he is so brazen and intends to see it out.

Money Squandered

It is also outrageous that the UK Government have written off over £4bn of fraudulent claims through the covid grants and loans systems. With schemes set up so quickly there was always a risk of fraud. However, if it were you or I, and the DWP/HMRC were involved for money owed to them, then you can be sure there wouldn’t be such leniency.

There was also £9bn squandered on PPE purchases including equipment being bought out of date. This is incompetence at the highest level. So £13bn squandered during the pandemic and this April sees a National Insurance hike to raise £12bn. So, we really are paying the price for an incompetent government.

Camberlege Report

I took part in a debate about the Camberlege Report. This report was compiled following an enquiry into three health interventions that have caused damage to people – mesh implants and the drugs primodos and sodium valproate. The key recommendation is that a redress/compensation scheme be set up. To date, the UK Government have failed to act on this recommendation. I put it to the Minister that there is no point in setting up an enquiry to then ignore the key recommendations. I have a constituent who has disabilities caused by the effect of the drug sodium valproate. It is only right she gets compensation and I intend to continue to pursue this injustice.

Energy Cost Crisis

Ofgem has announced the new energy cap will increase by £693 to just under £2000. It is unaffordable for many and National Energy Action estimates that there will be 6.5million households in fuel poverty. It is a real concern and a proper crisis. The UK Government is not doing enough either – a £200 rebate on our bills to be paid back at £40 a year is simply spreading the pain. For their council tax rebate scheme in England, Scotland will get £220m. According to the Tories, we should be grateful. The North Sea Oil and Gas Revenues will have contributed £3bn additional monies to the Treasury in two years, yet we are supposed to be grateful for £220m coming our way?

Scotland Rugby

I was lucky enough to be at Murrayfield for the rugby. It was a fantastic victory over England and very enjoyable. I love when sport puts a smile on your face and allows you to eliminate all the negative thoughts about what is going on in the world.

31st January 2022: A Week in Parliament

Partygate

Fed up with the ongoing saga of the investigation into partygate? If so, this is exactly what Boris Johnson and the Tories want. The latest one about him being presented with a birthday cake and people singing happy birthday is a distraction. It has allowed Tory MPs to say, “so what, he ate some cake”. If that was the only aspect, then I agree it is relatively trivial. The key issue is the culture of them doing what they want: the leaving parties with karaoke (banned in pubs at that time); the buying and hiding wine in a suitcase; the invite sent to 100 staff for a bring your own booze event when such mixing was banned and the Christmas party at a time when Johnson himself said they were banned. For the bring your own booze event; had it been a glass of wine or two, with a limited number of staff who were effectively working in a bubble, I can see why they might stretch the arguments slightly in their favour. However, an invite to 100 staff and his interior designer coming in for the event is actually a blatant breach of the regulations. Not to forget Johnson’s outright lying about what and what wasn’t happening.

Save the Dogs

I am a dog owner. I care about animals. However, it is hard to argue that it was justified to make special arrangements for the rescue of dogs from Afghanistan when Afghan-UK nationals were left stranded. When Afghans who worked with the UK security forces and their lives were at risk, many of them were left stranded. How can this strategy be justified – basically because Pen Farthing was all over social media, he got special treatment for his charity. This is when thousands of emails went unread. Of course, Johnson said it was nothing to do with him, but official emails now show he “authorised” the rescue. Another matter he has outright lied about. He is not fit for office.

Office return

Like many others, my office is now working on a phased return to workplace working rather than home working. I appreciate some people might be nervous or have enjoyed a home working routine. However, I know from my perspective having always worked in relatively busy offices, I prefer the social aspect and camaraderie of the office. I also found that it was easier to bounce ideas and discuss work-related matters with colleagues on a one to one basis. Another bonus of return to the workplace is that many town centre businesses benefit from that extra footfall.

Pension Auto-Enrolment

One successful measure implemented in recent years has been pension auto-enrolment. This has created an extra 10million people now having some form of private pension plan. A review in 2017, recommended lowering the qualification age, and other measures to extend the scheme to cover more people. This is a matter I am pursuing with the UK Government, as they are delaying for no good reason. Why talk up the success of a scheme and not do more to make it even more successful?

24th January 2022: A Week in Parliament

New Covid Treatment

We know bad news stories are easy to find. I was delighted to hear from a constituent who was so happy about the treatment he had received from the NHS locally. He was given notification that because of his health condition he would be eligible for a new viral anti-body treatment if he contracted covid-19. By coincidence, he did contract covid a few days later. He phoned the recommended number and was advised there is a daily 1030am meeting to discuss cases. The very next morning he was given the phone call to come in and get his treatment. A very small turnaround time and excellent service all around, protecting the most medically vulnerable. Well done to all involved.

Restrictions

I am sure everyone will welcome the lifting of most covid restrictions in Scotland. The wearing of masks has now been confirmed by the World Health Organisation as the number one low cost-effective protective measure against covid-19. It is therefore astonishing that in England they are lifting the requirement to wear masks on public transport and in shops. The reality is that Omicron is still about and it seems that Johnson is lifting all restrictions just to head off more unrest from his backbenchers. It is irresponsible. The Scottish Tories claim that the additional restrictions in Scotland compared to England has had no effect as infection rates in Scotland are similar to England. This is not true – London peaked with an infection rate twice as high as Scotland and while we had an infection rate of 1 in 20, England as a whole was at 1 in 15. Therefore, it can be argued infection rates are similar, but the reality is that statistically, for every 50,000 people covid positive, it would be 66,666 in England, meaning much more pressure on the NHS and services. It also means that the general rate in England was 33% higher. What will be difficult to prove, however, is how much it can be attributed to the additional measures we had to comply with.

Ukraine

The situation in Ukraine is a concern with the Russian troops mobilised on the border. There is strong talk from the United States about possible consequences. However, what appetite is there for another war? It is quite despairing really. What needs to happen before it is too late is for more robust sanctions to be applied to Russia including removal from the international payment system which would hurt them economically. More importantly, the United Kingdom and particularly the Tory party needs to clamp down on dodgy Russian money which is diverted through new developments, particularly in London. And of course, the Tories rely on donations from people with links to Russia. It stinks.

Office

In line with guidance from the Scottish Government about working from home where possible, my office remains closed to the public, except for special appointments. However, I am still doing virtual surgeries every Friday. So always get in touch if you are looking for assistance. I do look forward to fully re-opening though.

17th January 2022: A Week in Parliament

Partygate

Last summer, I looked out my window…there were loads of people coming through my side gate, and it sounded like their bags were clinking a fair bit. After a while, I went out into my garden, chatted to a few of them and enjoyed a nice glass of wine before going back inside to do some more work. It wasn’t until recently that I realised given it was during lockdown, that perhaps I shouldn’t have facilitated it all. At no point did I consider this a gathering. This is the gist of Boris Johnson’s latest excuse. How can this man credibly be Prime Minister?

Illegal Contracts

Because of the latest Downing Street revelations, it almost went unnoticed, but on the same day, Johnson was defending himself from the latest leaks, the courts confirmed that the VIP lane for the awarding of PPE contracts was illegal. This should have more people angry than is the case. In the midst of a pandemic, where the UK Government refused to do travel restrictions, and an early lockdown, we had a PPE crisis, affecting the lives of frontline NHS staff. Yes, emergency procurement was required, but even so, the Tories opted to use the emergency procurement measures to ensure friends and cronies benefited. It is the fact that it was people who knew how to make a quick buck rather than actually be specialised in supplying PPE is what gets me angry. Instead of talking about a windfall tax on the oil and gas companies, we should also be talking about a windfall tax on these companies that made hundreds of millions of pounds of profit from taxpayers, completely out of kilter with normal company performance.

Chinese Influence

As MPs we all need to be wary of you may be trying to influence you. M15 and parliamentary security recently went public on a London lawyer, Christine Lee, who they say are involved in covert operations for the Chinese Government/Communist Party. On the back of this, Barry Gardiner, Labour MP and former Minister/Shadow Minister has confirmed he had donations worth over £500k via Ms Lee to allow him to recruit staff. He has declared the donations openly, at least. However, it would seem incredible that an MP would not be suspicious about someone’s motives with such large financial backing. The fact he employed her son as diary manager may well have been her quid pro quo.

VAT on Energy Bills

Another Brexit lie, promoted by Boris Johnson is that on leaving the EU, then the UK would abolish VAT on energy bills. Yet, when Labour brought a motion to do just that, the Tories voted it down, including the backbench Tories who are still calling for a VAT cut. It is ridiculous, their excuse being that Labour was taking control of the order paper. Given VAT is about £90 per year for the average user, a temporary relief will be welcome. However, much more is required to combat the cost of living crisis, including direct intervention by the Government to stop the energy cap from rising massively in April.

10th January 2022: A Week in Parliament

New Year

Happy New Year. Again, we go into a new year and hope it is better than the one previously in terms of covid impacts. We may have some limited restrictions at the moment that are causing frustration. January 2021, we were in the grips of another lockdown, and record numbers of people were being admitted into hospital. This time around, it does seem true that the Omicron variant is milder than the other strains. However, hospital numbers are still at the level of February 2021. It is therefore very serious with people still getting so ill they are being admitted to hospital. This means a continued strain on the Scottish NHS – it means with people being off ill, fewer staff are dealing with these near-record numbers and other general services are affected or delayed. This is the reality of Omicron and we should not be dismissive of it and the impact. The amount of people contracting it is scary. At the time of writing, it is estimated that 1 in 20 people in Scotland have Omicron. In London, it is 1 in 10. Astonishing, and I am certainly not looking forward to mixing with people in London!

Pre-Christmas I was disappointed to have to cancel our office Christmas lunch. So, I am looking forward to rewarding staff when the current restrictions are lifted. Hopefully, some hospitality venues will benefit from other people doing likewise at a time that perhaps the venues would traditionally be quiet.

Pensions Spokesperson

I have been given an additional Spokesperson role – that of Pensions Spokesperson. It is challenging but a role I will relish. I have already been involved with the WASPI women campaign and this will continue. I intend to do more work looking at pension policies in other countries – the UK has one of the worst pensions in the world compared to the average working salary of the country. It is outrageous and an inequity I want to highlight. Worse, the UK Government has effectively cut the rate of pensions by £500 per year at the last budget. If you are a pensioner or approaching pension age, you should be outraged at this robbery. Taking £500 out of your pocket at a time when the cost of living is going through the roof. Help is needed, not taking money away from hard-pressed pensioners.

BEIS Committee Enquiry

A new BEIS Committee enquiry is looking at the current cost of the energy crisis and importantly how the market is operating and whether changes are required. Nearly 30 energy companies have gone bust this year. That in itself suggests market failure. Some people have been protected by the price cap, but if the UK Government does not intervene, the cap will increase by around £500 this April. It is estimated that the number of people in fuel poverty within the UK will increase from four million to six million. That is a 50% increase. Urgent Government action is required, using all the additional revenues they have collected from the crisis, including a predicted £6billion additional oil and gas revenues.

6th December 2021: A Week in Parliament

Boris Johnson’s Conduct

There is an infuriating rule in the House of Commons that you cannot accuse an MP of telling lies – even if you are sure they are lying. This is because we are all “honourable” and therefore it is not right to accuse a fellow MP of dishonour. The SNP held an opposition day debate on the conduct of Boris Johnson but because it was a specific motion about censuring Johnson for his conduct, it was confirmed, effectively, there was a licence to call things as they are. Very refreshing!

The one disappointment from my perspective was that I only had three minutes to speak, which clearly is not enough time to identify all Johnson’s failings. I was the only MP who brought up that Johnson had been caught conspiring to have a journalist beaten up. Imagine we have a Prime Minister who was happy to have someone beaten up? He is corrupt to the core – when questioned about rewarding Tory donors by appointing them to the Lords, he answered: “Until you get rid of the system by which the trades union barons fund other parties, we have to… we have to go ahead”. Confirmation of corruption!

Small Business Saturday

It was great to go and visit some businesses on the same street as my office – Titchfield Street. It was inspiring that for many it was not just about working for themselves, it was very much about creating and giving opportunities to others. This is proof that these small local businesses are the bedrock of our economy. It really was a pleasure to hear the various start-up stories.

Private Members Bills

Two of my colleagues were at Westminster to present private members bills. However, yet again they were victims of the archaic system whereby the UK Government deliberately talked out the bill on the agenda before theirs. This means their bills were not even given a debate. So frustrating especially when they were simple, fair bills. One was to allow asylum seekers to work while their applications are being assessed – surely we would rather asylum seekers earn money and integrate into society rather than be forbidden to work? The other bill was for automatic paid leave for women who suffer a miscarriage. I think it astonishing that such provision doesn’t exist at present and it is, therefore, even more, astonishing the Tories are blocking the concept.

Darvel Music Festival

It was great to see Skerryvore return to Darvel Town Hall as part of the Darvel Music Festival’s weekend. The atmosphere was fantastic and it does bring a buzz to Darvel. Well done to all the hard-working committee members who have kept this going – 20 years now which is amazing. Even more so, was talk of next year being their 21st anniversary, so it is great to have more events to look forward to. It is testament to the ambition of the committee to have attracted so many top-level acts over the years. Acts that genuinely bring fans from around the country to Darvel. Well done all.

29th November 2021: A Week in Parliament

PMQ Success!

In parliament, I have raised the need for a special pot of money purely for tidal stream electricity generation. It will allow Scotland to continue being a world leader in this technology. The Treasury had blocked this concept and there was limited time to change the auction conditions. I have raised the matter more than any other MP, and have signed cross-party letters looking for this targeted support. I was delighted then when I raised it at PMQs that Johnson confirmed a U-turn and that some funding would be made available specifically for tidal stream generation. While not enough for the industry to scale up the way it should be able to, but it was satisfying to be part of a campaign that brought about change in Government policy.

Covid Variant

It is a concern to hear of a new covid variant that is now even more deadly in terms of how infectious it is. This also shows that while we want to make sure all our citizens are vaccinated and protected, there is no point in doing this in isolation. We need to make sure the rest of the world gets vaccinated or these mutations will continue and continue. A worst-case scenario is a mutation that the current vaccinations do not protect us from. As a country, Israel was initially the one with the best vaccination rollout, except they were not treating the Palestinians in Gazza, the same. I called this out and a Twitter troll suggested I should concentrate on here first. However, these further mutations show how ludicrous it is for the western world to be holding vaccines about to go out of date when by helping other countries, we would also be adding to our own protection.

Asylum Seekers

Yet again, we witnessed desperate asylum seekers drowning in the English Channel. Why do they risk their lives to come to the UK? Because we are a soft touch and give them too much money? That’s what some people would have you believe. The reality is that France gives a more generous allowance. The UK gives a pittance. Why not stay in France then? This is where it is more complicated. Many of the asylum seekers trying to get to the UK already have relatives here. Also, English is their second language, so for them, it makes sense to claim asylum in the UK. Additionally, many come from countries that once were a part of the British Empire. As a result, they wrongly assume that they will get a better reception in the UK. Instead, the Tories are bringing in legislation that breaks international law – they want to make it a criminal offence to rescue people and bring them ashore to the UK. This means agencies like the RNLI, could be prosecuted if they save people from drowning and take them back to their lifeboat station. Just when you think they cannot be any more uncaring they prove you wrong.

22nd November 2021: A Week in Parliament

Mossgiel Dairy Farm

It was good to get another visit to Mossgiel Dairy Farm – not only has the farmer, Bryce, gone fully organic - he has plans in place to be zero carbon across the entire farm production including deliveries by 2025. He is proof that a business can be green and successful. His organic milk is now served in East Ayrshire schools which is a tremendous way of ensuring healthy local products for our children. Coming to nursery schools next too, so, well done East Ayrshire Council and Mossgiel.

Ayrshire Food Hub

I also held my first open advice surgery since covid restrictions kicked in. This was at the Ayrshire Food Hub at Crossroads. It was great to be able to speak to loads of constituents, some of whom came specifically regarding casework. The place was jumping in terms of customers and is well worth a visit. I couldn’t leave without buying some produce as there are always so much fine items available.

Nuclear Financing Bill

I am on a bill committee for the nuclear financing bill. This is where a committee of MPs debate the entire bill, effectively line by line. It takes up so much time – double sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays, and all the preparation in between. On Wednesday I was working past midnight analysing the clauses, creating amendments and speaking notes. This is the kind of work that generally goes unnoticed by the public. I don’t expect any plaudits for doing another part of my job but it is frustrating to be working hard while some politicians are more worried about lining their own pockets and tarnishing the reputation of all members. I have been told a few times that “all politicians are the same” and “are only in it for themselves”. That is not the case, but I certainly understand people’s anger at how some MPs behave.

Douglas Ross: MP, MSP and Linesman

It is ridiculous that Douglass Ross has managed to forget to report all his additional income as a linesman. Referring himself to the Standards Commissioner is a smokescreen – I give him the benefit of the doubt that it is not corruption given it is well known he is a linesman. I do not believe that he is trying to be covert about the additional income. However, consistently not declaring additional income is an offence. It is as simple as that. He also did not declare his MSP salary – he argues he didn’t think he needed to as he donates it to charity. This is a pathetic excuse. I received one salary payment from being a councillor as well as an MP. I declared this and knew I had to. I think for Douglas Ross it is pure arrogance that has caused this. When the Scottish Parliament Committee investigation into sexual harassment and the behaviour of Alex Salmond was ongoing, Ross kept making the airwaves demanding Nicola Sturgeon resign because “in my opinion, she has broken the ministerial code”. Of course, it was confirmed she didn’t break the code. Should Ross not consider his own position?