Representing rural Scotland in Westminster
Last week, the SLE team was in London for the annual London Reception. It was a massive success, attended by over 100 SLE members, and we were delighted to welcome Baroness Ruth Davidson to make the keynote address. Ruth is one of Scotland’s best-known politicians, and it was a privilege to hear her insight and humour at a time of political turmoil.
To make the most of our time in London, we arranged a series of meetings with political stakeholders across Westminster and Whitehall. The majority of the policy areas which relate to our members’ interests are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, and we engage with MSPs and Scottish Government Ministers daily. However, there are many reserved policy areas where the UK Government retains decision-making powers, and it is therefore vital that the unique interests of rural Scotland are heard in Westminster as well as in Holyrood.
Tuesday kicked off with Stephen Young (Head of Policy) attending a meeting with Rt Hon Mark Spencer, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The discussion focussed on agriculture and integrated land management, as well as common frameworks following the Brexit transition.
Meanwhile, Sarah-Jane Laing (Chief Executive) and Simon Ritchie (Press & Public Affairs Manager) went to Parliament to meet with the Scottish Liberal Democrat group of MPs: Jamie Stone MP, Alastair Carmichael MP, Christine Jardine MP, and Wendy Chamberlain MP. This was a wide-ranging discussion that covered the work of the Scottish Affairs Committee, our Land Reform priorities, and our campaign to improve the support offered to off-grid properties towards their energy bills this winter.
We regrouped in Whitehall, where we paid a visit to John Lamont MP, who was recently made a Scotland Office Minister. Once again, at the top of the agenda for this meeting in Dover House was energy bill support. Buoyed by our lobbying success to have the Alternative Fuel Payment doubled to £200, we had a really constructive discussion with John, explaining our view that the support needs to be delivered quickly and efficiently. He undertook to look at this closely and raise our points with his colleagues in BEIS (the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). Our meeting with John also touched on the developing carbon credit market, post-Brexit agriculture support, and forestry policy. On all of these points, we agreed to keep in touch.
From there it was back to Portcullis House for Simon and Stephen to catch up with the SNP research team for a broad discussion on rural affairs. Our planned meeting with SNP leader Ian Blackford MP had been cancelled owing to his stepping down as party leader, but we will be following up with the new leader Stephen Flynn MP, and his rural affairs spokesperson Patricia Gibson MP, in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Sarah-Jane headed to the House of Lords to meet with Lord Lindsay, to discuss a wide range of political and policy topics.
On Wednesday Stephen and Simon headed back to DEFRA, where a meeting with Lord Richard Benyon (Minister of State for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs) focussed on land use policy and future carbon credit taxation, as well as a broader discussion about the balance between supporting food production, carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
Though our discussions varied across a range of policy areas, our message throughout all these meetings was clear. Policies emanating from Westminster, just like Holyrood, need to be rural-proofed. By that we mean the unique interests of rural Scotland must be taken into account at the pre-Bill stage of policy development, following extensive engagement with businesses and communities across rural Scotland. Too often we have seen both our governments introduce Bills and strategies – whether its energy bill support schemes, or short term let licensing schemes – which trample across rural interests and require mitigating amendment further down the line. We have been clear: SLE and our members are knowledgeable and at the front line of delivering on everything from food production to climate targets to reversing nature loss. We are part of the solution to many of each government’s challenges. As delivery partners, we will continue to ensure the voices of rural Scotland are heard loud and clear in Scotland and in London, and that, crucially, they are listened to.
Simon Ritchie
Press & Public Affairs Manager
Scottish Land & Estates
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