THIS week, in his first major speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey declared that the UK economy is turning a corner and that his focus will be on fiscal discipline and delivering growth.
Over the last two years, we have repaired the foundations of our economy and the public finances.
Now the new Chancellor has stated that both he and the Prime Minister are committed to continuing to control government borrowing and reducing long-term pressures on the public finances.
However, he also underlined that his mission as Chancellor will be to “make Great Britain, growth Britain”, with good growth in every postcode.
He said that the government will set about that mission with more devolution, more public leadership and control, more investment, more innovation and more jobs.
This is fundamental to reversing the UK’s decline after 14 years of Tory-led government and making sure that communities across the country benefit from a growing economy.
That must include communities across Scotland, and delivered the same message at the Scottish CBI Annual Dinner in Glasgow on Thursday.
The UK Government has already been backing growth in East Lothian in a variety of important ways.
For example, the Edinburgh Innovation Hub, located at Queen Margaret University, is part of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal and received £28.6 million in UK Government funding.
The opening of the hub is a vital step in backing Scottish innovation and building a modern, resilient economy.
The investment will help to support start-ups with the specialised lab space they need to accelerate breakthroughs, scale up quickly and create high-skilled local jobs.
This is a positive start, but we know there is still much more to do.
I will continue working with the Chancellor and colleagues across the government to ensure that East Lothian and communities throughout Scotland have the funding and support they need to achieve sustained growth.
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