Alexander Walker’s Post

Responding to the parliamentary confirmation of John Swinney MSP as First Minister, Dr Liz Cameron CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “Congratulations to John Swinney as he is formally elected to the post of First Minister of Scotland. “As First Minister Swinney works to get his team in place, our urgent plea is for a pro-business and pro-economy policy agenda. “The cost of doing business, labour shortages, diverging taxation systems are all drags on growth and investment. That’s why we need the Scottish Government to work closely with Scotland’s business community to restore business and investor confidence by adopting a clear focus on economic growth. “We all need to rally together to back Scotland’s businesses and we stand ready to work with the new First Minister to make that happen.” https://lnkd.in/ezTJsK7k #scottishbusiness #scotland #business #economy #politics

Saying no, needn't mean not listening. Saying no properly, means #listening, #reflecting and moving forward cognisant of those #voices, and considering the implications, and making #compromises where possible. Engaging properly with communities. It is possible to say 'no' well. Reforms to the #Planning system are important, and so is inclusive engagement, which will see better overall outcomes for our society. We can do both. Speed cannot come at the cost of #listening and #engagement. Rt Hon Rachel Reeves: "I know that there will be opposition to this, I'm not naïve to that, and we must acknowledge that trade-offs always exist. Any #development may have environmental consequences, place pressure on services, and rouse voices of local opposition, but we will not succumb to a status quo which responds to the existence of trade-offs by always saying no, and relegates the national interest below other priorities. "This Labour government has been elected in a mandate to get things done to get Britain building again. "We will make those tough decisions to realise that mandate with these steps. "We have done more to unblock the planning system in the past 72 hours than the last government did in 14 years. "Be in no doubt we are going to get Britain building again we are going to get Britain's economy growing again and there is no time to waste." https://lnkd.in/enHUeeRg

Have a read of my latest article, back to the usual British politics (it's also on Medium, I'll share the link shortly) 😀

In first address as PM, Sir Keir Starmer remarks, ‘Our work is urgent and we begin it today’ Politics News, first address, In first address as PM, Our work is urgent, Sir Keir Starmer, we begin it today

Great to join a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner MP for Ashton and Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds MP, alongside fellow business leaders. I hope this meeting is a signal that the Government will soon start a proper, meaningful and constructive engagement process as it moves from campaigning into practical policy making. It will be crucial the Government starts to demonstrate it is prepared to try and reduce harm to employment, small business, and the economy from any and every negative impact of these proposals. The new administration must listen to the real needs of small businesses on the ground and help, not harm, small business efforts to get people into work and secure the high levels of growth the country desperately needs. #BusinessLeadership #UKEconomy #JobCreation

A month on from the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland, we are delighted to release our new Public Affairs Toolkit for Members. This guide explains the role of the Northern Ireland Assembly, provides links to MLAs, demonstrates how the NI Executive is formed, provides a list of Ministers, Committee Members, explains how Northern Ireland fits with the UK Government, outlines what devolution means and gives a short synopsis on some of the key agreements that have taken place over the past two decades. Practical advice on how Committees operate and what to do to prepare for a Committee presentation are all included. You’ll also discover how your business can inform the government and find out about the key tools to measure and engage with government. We’ve also thrown in a few top tips! Additionally, there is information about local councils and three appendices with lots of Committee, Departmental and Local Council contact details. Want to get your copy? https://lnkd.in/egGikSfd #government #publicaffairs #northernireland #devolved #engage #inform

Following on from the announcement of the UK general election, Dr Liz Cameron CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “Scottish businesses will be listening carefully to how each political party proposes to support economic growth, by creating jobs whilst investing in growth and our people. “Whoever forms the next UK Government will need to partner with business to deliver what we need. Business needs confidence, investment, and stability. “We are still attempting to absorb continued rising costs of running our businesses, coupled with major labour supply challenges. This means that many are unable to drive forward the level of growth and innovation that the economy sorely needs. “Firms will be looking for measures to foster investment, ease our costs, ensure a fair transition to Net Zero, and make Scotland an attractive place to live and work. “We look forward to outlining the priorities of Scottish businesses on these issues in the coming weeks and expect all political parties to reflect the importance of the economy in their pitch to us.” Read more ➡️ https://buff.ly/3QY1D1n The Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network is here to support your business - reach out to share your views, concerns and opportunities. #SCCnews #businesssupport #businessnetwork #businessvoice #businessleader Sign up for the Scottish Chambers of Commerce enewsletter at https://buff.ly/3CpsQnu

Read 👉: ‘The Insider’s Guide to Preparing for Power’, a new interview with our Chairman Gus O’Donnell published recently in the New Statesman With UK gearing up for a general election later this year, Gus draws on his former life as cabinet secretary to three prime ministers with his views about forming the next government. 🗣️ “My advice to [a new government] is to be very clear about the outcomes they want to achieve and to leave a certain amount of flexibility as to how…. It may be that the right answer in Blackpool is not the right answer in Liverpool or Manchester or Leeds”. Having served as the head of the UK’s civil service, his advice for managing the transition between changing administrations is vital for all politicians to hear. Gus sees the impartiality of the civil service as a key check-and-balance for policies aiming to boost the UK’s position on the world stage: 🗣️ “I still believe that we have enormous strengths; our university base is fantastic. There’s a huge amount of private money that wants to be invested in the UK because we’ve got a fantastic rule of law… We’ve got all sorts of ways of influencing the world, which we should be using for good.” Frontier’s Public Policy practice works closely with government departments, using cutting edge economics to solve policy problems, and works with leading private and public sector organisations. 🖥️ Read the full article: https://okt.to/ZIn9w1 Learn more about our Public Policy work at Frontier: https://okt.to/Yky1pR

If your advisors are telling you that Labour 🌹 doesn’t have any policies, they’re looking in the wrong places. Cavendish’s team of of Labour experts have scoured through speeches, documents and announcements to pull together what we think will form the Labour manifesto. Click 👇 to download, and get in touch to discuss what a potential Labour government might mean for you and your sector. #ukpolitics #labour #insights

“This will enable local leaders to develop powerful local growth plans that attract specialist industries and enhance their local strengths,” Starmer and Rayner add. The direction of travel for local and regional government under a Starmer Government couldn't be clearer: more power and long-term funding for places that have a clear plan for what they want to do, can articulate what powers they want to do it, and are able to demonstrate and measure what change will mean for their communities. Ending the "cap-in-hand" approach to local funding is going to be a major shift for Whitehall - so local government needs to be putting aside resource and time now to start the work needed to make a robust (five case model?) pitch on day one of a new government for why they should take greater local control over shaping their growth and prosperity. Government won't be able to do this everywhere at once so anywhere that isn't already putting this in motion is going to find themselves at the back of a very long queue. https://lnkd.in/eJyGdy3h