No honesty in Budget about Brexit's economic damage
When the Chancellor of the UK Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivers his budget on Wednesday, he will trumpet whatever sticking plaster measures he and his team come up with - but don't expect any honesty about the damage that Brexit is doing to the UK economy.
SNP leadership candidates respond to Business for Scotland's 10 key questions
Last week Business for Scotland wrote on behalf of our members to each of the candidates for the SNP leadership asking them to answer ten key questions about the economic policy, relations with business, EU membership, and independence. We would like to thank the candidates not only for their time and effort to respond within a tight deadline but also for calling to discuss our priorities in detail whilst also traversing the country attending hustings after hustings.
Light-touch border between Ireland/NI and the UK could be a model for independent Scotland
The 'Windsor Framework' doesn't change the underlying reality that Northern Ireland has what Scotland wanted and voted for - access to the EU single market. But it does streamline the light-touch border between Ireland/Northern Ireland and the UK - that could be a model for an independent Scotland.
Business for Scotland seeks clarity from SNP leadership candidates on business and economic policy
Business for Scotland, the campaigning business network for pro-independence businesspeople, has written to all of the candidates in the SNP leadership race seeking clarity on how they intend to reset the SNP's relationship with business and to explain their business and economic vision for an independent Scotland.
Scottish business leaders angered by Brexit - as at least £2.5bn is lost in investment
Scottish business leaders are speaking out in ever stronger terms as they count the cost of a hard Brexit Scotland didn't vote for. In one example, the President of the National Farmers Union of Scotland told their annual conference last week that the post-Brexit chaos could “write off” the Scottish farming industry.
Oil company profits double but are they taxed appropriately?
Shell last week reported an annual profit of almost $40bn for 2022 (£33.3bn). This is double their profits of $19.2bn (£16bn) for 2021 and smashed their previous record of $28.4bn (£23.7bn) set in 2008. Just today, BP also reported profits for 2022 of $28bn (£23.3bn), more than double the amount it made in 2021 and the highest in the company's 144-year history.
Brexit three years on - still an unmitigated disaster for Scotland
It has now been almost seven years since the UK voted to leave the European Union and three years since the UK left the EU in direct conflict with the stated democratic will of the Scottish people. The Scottish electorate was ignored and Scotland was ripped from the European community against what has now been proven to have been Scotland’s better judgement.
Scotland's energy future - Damaged by five UK government failures
Scotland currently produces the most renewable energy per capita among the UK nations and is a potential global leader in this field. Hydrogen in particular could represent Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunity since the discovery of oil and gas in the North Sea. The technology has the power to unleash huge economic benefits while supporting the transition to net zero.
Revealed: The ACCOUNTING TRICK that Hides Scotland's Wealth (2023)
Every Westminster Government in your lifetime has knowingly diverted tens of billions of pounds of Scottish revenues to Westminster. This has led to lower investment in Scotland, higher unemployment, lower economic growth, lower standards of living, economic migration and growing inequality and poverty. All of which would not have been the case were Scotland an independent country.
The new economic case for independence - Five Key Takeaways
Business for Scotland didn't comment when the Sustainable Growth Commission report was published. It was too conservative for us on spending, undersold Scotland's economic potential - both for growth and in wellbeing terms - and the conditions for the introduction of a Scottish pound were overly restrictive.