Douglas Alexander MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady’s question tells us everything we need to know about the base politics of the SNP, which suggest that those who are pro national security are somehow anti-Scottish. That helps to explain why the SNP Government were not willing to fund the welding centre on the Clyde, which would have delivered hundreds of apprenticeships and secure jobs for decades to come. It explains why they were are weak on our own defence, supporting unilateral nuclear disarmament notwithstanding the arrival of Vladimir Putin’s ambitions on the international stage. If Scotland wants to benefit from being part of a strong and secure United Kingdom, I hope that we will decisively reject the SNP on 7 May.

• 15 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  I certainly agree that Scotland needs change. There has been an industrial level of waste by the Scottish Government in relation to money. Half a billion pounds has been spent on ferries; the First Minister went to Stornoway last week, but this week the boat that he travelled on broke down. A third of the CalMac fleet was out of commission over Easter. Whether it is the Scottish Government’s waste of resources, their failure on public services or their abject failure on economic growth, Scotland needs and deserves change.

• 15 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  The last time I checked, it was actually Scottish Conservative votes in Holyrood that sustained Alex Salmond’s Government in power, so we are not going to take any lectures from the Conservatives about somehow being the SNP’s little helpers. The reality is that Reform is the SNP’s little helper in this election, and after the comments made last night, it is pretty clear that the SNP is Reform’s little helper too.

• 15 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  The UK Government’s industrial strategy set out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite the global uncertainty we are living through. That includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy. Our free trade agreements with India and the EU will have huge benefits for Scottish businesses, and of course Scotland will benefit hugely from the defence dividend created by our increased investment in our national security. This is a Government backing growth and jobs in Scotland.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Energy Profits Levy: Gas Sector · Hansard source

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  It is worth reminding the hon. Gentleman that it was actually a Conservative Government who introduced the EPL. We have been clear that the EPL will come to an end in 2030. It is also worth pointing out that oil and gas in the North sea is sold into global markets, and that we lost a third of the jobs in the North sea under the Government in which he served. I am happy to listen to other voices, but the last voice that would I listen to is that of the Scottish Conservative party.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Energy Profits Levy: Gas Sector · Hansard source

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  There is an aching gap the width of the North sea between what the hon. Member says and what the Conservatives did. The reality is that for all his conversations and protestations now about supporting Scottish oil and gas industry workers, under his Government, we lost a third of the North sea’s workforce. They failed time and again to come up with a plan. It falls to Labour once again to clean up their mess.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Energy Profits Levy: Gas Sector · Hansard source

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  First, I respectfully remind the hon. Gentleman that it was the Conservatives who brought in the energy profits levy in 2022. Oil and gas will be a central part of the energy mix in the UK for decades to come, but it is also right to recognise that there is a transition that needs to be managed and there was an abject failure by the previous Government to manage that transition. The Chancellor confirmed at the Budget that we are ending the EPL on 31 March 2030.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Energy Profits Levy: Gas Sector · Hansard source

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  I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman had a chance to listen to what was on the radio this morning about bills and the progress being made. [ Interruption. ] Well, let us introduce some facts to the debate. This trend in the North sea did not emerge yesterday; it is a mature basin where there was a 75% reduction in production between 1999 and 2024. We have been a net importer since 2003, and we lost more than 70,000 jobs from the basin in the last 10 years of the Conservatives being in power.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Energy Profits Levy: Gas Sector · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is entirely right. I had the opportunity to visit the Navantia yard in Methil just a couple of weeks ago. It is just over a year ago that we as a Labour Government stepped in to secure the future of both the Methil and Arnish yards. Since then, Navantia has announced a further £12 million of investment in the Methil site, which is just another example of what is possible when a UK Labour Government and industry work together for Scotland’s benefit.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Defence Manufacturing Jobs · Hansard source

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  I had the chance to visit the Leonardo facility with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in recent weeks and saw for myself the transformation it had witnessed since it was originally Ferranti, with the strong support of the UK Government behind it. The hon. Member raises a really important question. The defence prime companies in Scotland cannot get Scottish Government civil servants even to explain the policy that the First Minister announced last September. That is imperilling investment, apprenticeships and jobs in Scotland. Scotland deserves better.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Defence Manufacturing Jobs · Hansard source

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  Scotland is at the heart of keeping the UK secure at home and strong abroad. As has been referenced already, just last week I visited Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, working to strengthen our defence partnerships and increase export opportunities for the Scottish defence industry. That defence dividend has already delivered record orders worth £10 billion for the Clyde shipyards, new investments of £340 million in Rosyth and £250 million in Faslane, and a contract of £453 million for Leonardo in Edinburgh.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Defence Manufacturing Jobs · Hansard source

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  Not for the first time, I find myself in agreement with my hon. Friend. The UK Labour Government have committed to the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war, totalling £270 billion in this Parliament alone. In contrast, the SNP-led Scottish Government’s position on public funding for defence is risking jobs, skills and investment in Scotland. Despite record funding provided by the UK Government, they are weak on defence and dismal on further education. Scotland deserves better than a third decade of a failed SNP Government.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Defence Manufacturing Jobs · Hansard source

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  I find myself in agreement with the hon. Gentleman. With that biggest sustained increase in defence expenditure since the cold war—not simply in Scotland, where defence supports about 12,000 Scottish jobs, but in Northern Ireland, Wales and England—there are real opportunities for a defence dividend. That is why the defence industrial strategy is UK-wide and why, notwithstanding the Scottish Government’s weakness on defence and economic support, we remain committed to that strategy.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Defence Manufacturing Jobs · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his question. My own grandfather worked as an engineer in Glasgow, so I appreciate the proud heritage of which he speaks. The Government’s defence industrial strategy will deliver a record boost for Scotland’s economy, creating highly skilled jobs for years to come. Alas, when the SNP-led Scottish Government stepped back, it took the UK Labour Government to step in and give young people the welding skills that they needed. As we mark the fourth anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the security challenges facing NATO are clear for almost all of us to see, yet the Scottish Government remain committed to unilateral nuclear disarmament.

• 25 Feb 2026 · World Cup: Travelling Fans · Hansard source

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  I commend my hon. Friend for his question. I am not sure that I’ll be coming down the road to have a pint with the right hon. Member for Aberdeen South (Stephen Flynn) any time soon. Come to think of it, I would walk 500 miles to avoid having a beer and a blether with him.

• 25 Feb 2026 · World Cup: Travelling Fans · Hansard source

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  I respectfully point out that we qualified under a Labour Government this time, and the last time, when I was there in the Stade de France, there was a UK Labour Government.

• 25 Feb 2026 · World Cup: Travelling Fans · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend and I both know that the tartan army will be out in full force supporting Scotland’s FIFA world cup campaign this summer. The UK Government are working with partners in the host countries and the Scottish Football Association to provide guidance to supporters on travel, security and consular assistance. We are determined to help everyone have a fantastic and safe world cup, hopefully beyond the group stages.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important point for not just her constituents but many others. Although animal health is a devolved responsibility, I am troubled—although not altogether surprised—to learn that the Scottish Government have chosen to diverge from the approach taken across the rest of the UK and indeed in Europe, with all the consequent difficulties she describes. The Office for the Internal Market produced a report on this issue in 2025 and recognised that some businesses, such as larger livestock auctions, could face higher costs if the system were not managed well. My hon. Friend can none the less be assured that the UK Government at least remain committed to seamless trade within the United Kingdom.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman talks about sad truths; the sad truth is that one in seven young Scots between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in employment, education or training. The Scottish Government, in which he served, also uphold another sad truth: it is hard to think of a single area of Scottish public life over the past 19 years where we have seen an improvement. Scottish schools used to be the envy of the world, but the hon. Gentleman’s Government have delivered falling standards. The Scottish national health service, with brilliant staff, contrasts very badly with the level of progress on waiting lists that is being made by colleagues down here. Whether it is because of being weak on defence, inadequate on further education colleges, or generally just a secret and inadequate Government, there is a whole lot of change coming in May, I hope.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the characteristic grace and generosity with which he asked his question. I can assure him that it was a long-planned trip to establish relations, which, frankly, should have been established some time ago by the Government in which he served. We are none the less very proud of our defence relationship with New Zealand, and I look forward to being with Anas in Paisley on Friday. On the substance of the right hon. Gentleman’s question, I commend him for his advocacy over many years. The UK Government recently launched an HIV action plan for England with the aim of ending new HIV transmissions by the end of the decade, and our recent HIV testing week has helped to build public knowledge and understanding so that we can reconnect thousands with the healthcare they need, reduce stigma and, crucially, identify undiagnosed cases. While healthcare is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, we support any initiatives that ensure that people across the United Kingdom get the testing they need.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  Many of us know, from the experience of family, friends and others, about the difficulty of many charging stations across Scotland, which causes the range anxiety of which the hon. Lady speaks, particularly in rural areas. The new electric vehicle excise duty introduces a fairer approach to sharing the costs generated by all vehicle drivers through wear and tear on roads and congestion. As a former Transport Secretary, I know that, as we transition to electric vehicles, it is necessary to look at the appropriate taxation of electric vehicles. While those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those who live in urban areas, EV drivers are also more likely to have a dedicated home charger, which allows access to the lowest charging costs, thereby ensuring that EVs remain the cheaper, greener choice. None the less, I assure the hon. Lady that we talk to the Scottish Government on a range of issues.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  First, as I should have done in response to the question from the former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), I associate myself with his remarks in relation to the late Jeane Freeman. She was a public servant of distinction who served in both the Scottish Cabinet and the Scottish Parliament for a number of years. The SNP spokesperson talked about this being a difficult few weeks; the terrible truth is that we have had a difficult couple of decades under the SNP. Whether it is the SNP’s failure to build ferries in relation to transport, falling education standards, or its inability to get a grip on waiting times, the real issue of concern to Scotland is avoiding a third decade of SNP failure.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  The UK Government are working closely with the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland. Since taking office, we have provided the Scottish Government with a record budget settlement, reversing austerity and years of underfunding and ensuring that communities get the support they deserve. I met the Deputy First Minister earlier this month. Labour, as the party of devolution, is already delivering an extra £11 billion for the Scottish Government’s budget, £120 million of investment for Grangemouth and a defence dividend for Rosyth and Faslane.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Cost of Living · Hansard source

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  This is literally and figuratively a deadly serious issue. As we have just heard from those on the SNP Benches, the SNP will be claiming in the coming months that this is as good as it gets for Scotland, but the reality is that its shameful record in Scotland is more than 6,800 drug deaths since it declared a public health emergency. That, let us be clear, is the worst drug-related death rate in Europe. It is a shameful failure by the Scottish Government. Despite all their claims about the budget yesterday, once again it was a missed opportunity to take a better approach. We have provided the resources, but alas we have a Scottish Government who are out of time, out of ideas and failing in terms of public health.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Cost of Living · Hansard source

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  What is the reality? The governing philosophy of the Scottish National party is 19th-century nationalism. What is the reality of what we saw yesterday? The 19th budget from John Swinney. The idea that after 18 goes, the SNP will get it right at the 19th is frankly risible. We have the same record of failure with the SNP. If people want a new direction, they will have the chance to vote for it in May.