The Week Ahead in Scottish Politics
A UK General Election will take place on the 4th of July.
Rishi Sunak ended months of speculation by announcing, on a rain drenched afternoon outside No. 10, that a General Election will take place on the 4th of July this year. The next 6 weeks will be dominated by election chatter, and SLE stands ready to contribute to the debate with our Scottish Rural Manifesto under development.
With a focus on reserved matters, our priorities for the next UK Government will look at trade, labour, taxation, block grant funding and digital connectivity. Most importantly, it will be underpinned by our ongoing ask of every government to ensure that policies are designed with the countryside in mind. Rural proofing should be a standard component of the development of policies across all departments of the UK Government.
Understanding the impact of policy and legislation on rural areas is absolutely fundamental to addressing the inequalities that are faced by people living and working in rural areas. We would therefore like to see a commitment to rural proofing in every party’s manifestos in the upcoming election.
Turning to the election itself, Scotland's electoral is entirely unique to the rest of the UK, and we will be working hard to engage with politicians from across all parties to encourage them to stand up for rural Scotland, no matter what the outcome of the election is.
Westminster excitement may be dominating the headlines, but as parliamentary candidates start hitting voters’ doorsteps, Holyrood business is continuing at pace.
Next week, the Stage 3 of the new Visitor Levy Bill will head through the Chamber, with a final vote on the Bill due on Tuesday evening. Our Policy Adviser on tourism, Simon Ovenden, and I have delivered a briefing to MSPs ahead of the debate, making a final plea to ensure that the Bill minimises harm to rural businesses, and maximises benefits to our tourism industry.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston is hosting a debate on Wednesday aimed at ensuring a previously proposed ban on woodburning stoves in rural homes does not progress, highlighting their importance as a primary and secondary source of heating for homes in rural communities.
MSPs will also have the opportunity to ask questions to Ministers on the rural affairs portfolio on Wednesday afternoon. Foysol Choudhury MSP (Labour, Lothians) will ask the Cabinet Secretary about community engagement provisions in the new Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, whilst Annie Wells MSP (Conservative, Glasgow) will be probing the government on future rural affairs policy in the aftermath of the Bute House Agreement.
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