Starmer urged to focus on climate and economy in Scotland

Climate change and the economy were key focuses of the reaction to Labour’s win in Scotland.

Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth Scotland said tackling climate breakdown “must be at the heart of everything Keir Starmer’s Government does from now on”.

Imogen Dow, the group’s head of campaigns said: “The UK Government must deliver the urgent action that transitions our lives, our homes and our economy away from fossil fuels.

“People who work in the oil and gas industry and communities that are reliant on it must play a key role in planning an energy transition that is truly fair, responds to people’s needs and protects our climate.

“The Labour Government needs to develop a coherent strategy and invest in green industries, as well as providing a jobs guarantee that supports workers to move away from oil and gas.”

The trade body representing the offshore industry, Offshore Energies UK, said members “remain deeply concerned over Labour proposals to impose a further windfall tax and end new licences”.

Its chief executive David Whitehouse said: “Homegrown offshore energy is a jewel in the UK’s industrial crown that government must treasure.

“The Labour Party has put economic growth at the heart of its plans, and our offshore energy sector can deliver just that.

“The people in our sector and investors remain deeply concerned over Labour proposals to impose a further windfall tax and end new licences. These policies, if poorly managed and without industry input, will threaten jobs and undermine the decarbonisation of the UK economy.”

Elsewhere, the head of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce called for the new Government to focus on economic growth.

Chief executive Liz Cameron said: “We look forward to working with the new Labour UK Government and focusing on action to support the growth of the Scottish and UK economy.

“Now the election is over, the real work of government must begin and that means supporting job creation and enabling Scotland to remain ahead of the game in global competitiveness.

“We need an ambitious programme of pro-enterprise and pro-growth policies, but without urgent action, the opportunity for positive change clearly mandated by the electorate will be wasted.”

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer called for Sir Keir to take decisive action to rebuild.

She said: “The change that the now new prime minister offered during the campaign must start now. This is day one of his Labour Government. We need decisive action to turn our back on the austerity-driven, public service-slashing, trade union-attacking ways of the Tory past.

“It’s time to rebuild. We will work with the incoming Prime Minister to deliver a progressive Scotland that delivers for working people. He must now deliver for us.”

The Federation of Small Businesses said it hopes the Starmer Government will make Scotland a better place for business.

Andrew McRae, its Scotland policy chairman, said: “This very clear result gives us hope that political stability can lead to economic stability and recovery.

“Any new government needs to hit the ground running and the first 100 days of this new administration offers a golden opportunity to lay the foundations of sustained small business growth.

“There are many levers the UK Government can pull to make Scotland a better place to start and run a small business – easing the cost of doing business and supporting cashflow, employment and investment.

“These range from tackling poor payment practices by big businesses to their smaller suppliers to giving smaller firms a fairer crack of the whip when bidding for UK Government contracts.”