Articles

Dither and delay over election promise to Scotland

One of the biggest pre-election promises of the new UK government was a new publicly-owned energy company to be based in Scotland. The first 100 days of the administration was billed as a time of pace-setting change. And yet 70 days in, even the location of the new headquarters is in dispute.

How Scotland could have “the cheapest electricity in Europe”

Power companies are regularly paid millions of pounds to turn off wind turbines in Scotland - while at the same time the UK electricity systems operator spends more millions on importing far more expensive electricity from the national power companies of France and Norway. That waste makes bills for Scottish businesses far higher than they need to be - but without independence, we have to wait for the UK to update the system.

Will GB Energy live up to the Labour Government's promises? 5 Questions Answered

The Labour Government made a big deal of its pitch to create a new energy company based in Scotland called GB Energy.

Hydrogen backbone worth £26 billion a year to the Scottish economy

A ‘hydrogen backbone’ - a pipeline for Scotland to export green hydrogen straight to Germany could be worth billions to the Scottish economy and help boost Europe’s move to net zero.

A forthcoming report by the Net Zero Technology Centre, an industry-funded think tank based in Aberdeen, calculates that the hydrogen export market could be worth £26 billion a year to Scotland.

Scotland is ‘the loser’ from UK Government’s raid on oil and gas

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the oil and gas industry were the losers from the last budget. But he didn’t go far enough – he should have admitted that Scotland is the loser. Scotland’s economic future is at stake. Failing to manage the transition from oil and gas to renewables effectively would mean a massive loss of jobs and prosperity.

A Business for Scotland proposal to ring fence oil taxes for investment is now SNP policy

Many Scots are angry that the profits from the exploitation of Scotland’s oil for the last 50 years have gone south. There is little to show for the oil boom in Aberdeen and other areas where they were extracted.

Scottish business growth outpaces the UK in three key metrics

Scottish businesses are outperforming the UK average in terms of three key metrics, according to a recent report by respected accounting group ICAEW.

New Brexit import controls will hurt Scottish businesses and families

From tomorrow – and again in April – the UK Government will start imposing a battery of border controls on agricultural trade with the EU. Fierce protests from businesses have delayed these controls five times but they will go ahead this time in order for Rishi Sunak to appease the right wing of his party. The Guardian reported recently that they will cost the economy £330m a year.

The Hallmark of the UK Economy is Stagnation

A new paper released yesterday by the Resolution Foundation gives an in depth look at the depth of economic stagnation the UK economy has faced since the 2007/08 Financial Crisis. The paper offers a list of possible solutions to the UK’s frankly horrendous economic performance over the last decade and a half, including recommendations to increase public investment to levels more in line with other G7 countries. However, assumed Prime Minister in-waiting, Keir Starmer has said that anyone expecting Labour to “quickly turn on the spending taps” will be “disappointed”.