Speeches by Alexander.

“Chair, with your permission given Kirsteen mentioned the Edinburgh and South East Scotland city region deal, I should probably keep myself safe. I was a member of the court of the University of Edinburgh in the years immediately preceding my election. As Edinburgh was also a beneficiary of that deal, I should put that …”

“The deals are in flight at the moment, so I will defer to Kirsty on some of the work that she has been doing over the last year on this.”

“First, I am not anticipating a defeat for the party of which I am a member and we are working for a victory. Secondly, I will be at St Giles on Sunday. I was first in St Giles the Sunday after the referendum when there was a national service of reconciliation, a service of national reconciliation that very regrettably …”

“The other point I will add is that it is critical for rural Scotland, but also the contribution that tourism has made to Glasgow and, critically, Edinburgh has been transformative. Tourism and hospitality is central not just to our thinking about rural Scotland and some of the fragile economies and challenges that are …”

“Thank you for that observation. I was in two different pubs in my constituency last Friday, but that might be misinterpreted. I visited the Longniddry Inn to hear directly about some of the concerns that you described, and then subsequently The Law hotel, North Berwick where, thankfully, we have seen a significant inwa…”

“I am always open to how we can ensure that Scotland’s voice is heard effectively. I recollect phoning one of those stakeholders from my constituency in East Lothian on a Friday evening and listening to the claim that somehow Scotland’s voice was not being heard on the industrial strategy unless a particular organisatio…”

“Given that I was in the Department for Business and Trade as a Minister when we published the industrial strategy, unsurprisingly my answer is yes. It is inherent in the IS-8 that there will always be industries or particular companies that say, “Do we have the prominence that we deserve?” I hope in the answer I was ab…”

“The mandate on which we were elected as a UK Government was very clear that we are not countenancing the break-up of the United Kingdom or a further referendum. Secondly, one of the differences between now and 2014 is that 2014 actually happened. We had our choice, we made our choice. I know that is a matter of disappo…”

“For the 831 young people not getting jobs in Ayrshire College, respectfully, it is pretty doom and gloom right now. If your attitude is that that is the best we can do in Scotland, and we should be somehow applauding the conduct of the Scottish Government, respectfully I take a very different view. I think the Scottish…”

“I should probably declare that I am a very good friend of Torsten Bell, the former director of the Resolution Foundation who is now doing important work for us in the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions that we have just been discussing. It is right to recognise that the Resolution Foundation has done imp…”

“This Government are taking action to support vulnerable families this winter, including by expanding the warm home discount scheme, which means that more than 500,000 households now benefit from that £150 payment—one in five Scottish households.”

“The good news is that those in receipt of pension credit that tops them up to a minimum weekly income will continue to receive the discount automatically. The scheme is opening again this month; anyone who thinks they may be eligible, in Glasgow or elsewhere across Scotland, should contact their energy supplier.”

“I was elected on a very clear manifesto, which made clear that this UK Labour Government do not support independence or another referendum. If, after 18 years, the SNP is not prepared to run on its record, that begs the question: what kind of record have they left, after 18 years in power? Behind the smokescreen it has…”

“As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland made clear, we have committed £5.2 billion to the Scottish Government this year—the largest settlement in the 25 years of devolution. There is a very basic question that we Scots are asking: “Where’s the money gone, John?” The reality is that our…”

“Well, Mr Speaker, the quality of the SNP’s contributions does not seem to have improved since 2007, and neither has its arguments. In the face of failing schools and hospitals, and the inability to build ferries in the hon. Gentleman’s own constituency, what do we see? Once again, dreary documents about independence. T…”

“I am a great fan of Para Handy, the Vital Spark and the Waverley, but I would not want to offer them in the face of Vladimir Putin as an approach to Euro-Atlantic security. The reality is that we have student gesture politics from the Scottish National party. I met with the major defence companies in Greenock last Frid…”

“Returning to the Dispatch Box as the Secretary of State for Scotland, I think it is striking that the SNP’s answers are no better than they were in 2017, 2014 or 2021. I simply ask: what is its policy on a Scottish currency? What is its policy on foreign reserves? What is its position on a Scottish pension? It is no be…”

“Communities can feel tangible benefits, but those community benefits are largely voluntary at the moment. The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, however; that is why this Government are considering mandating the provision of community benefit funds for low-carbon energy infrastructure across the United Kingdom. W…”

“I sense that it might be myself. We would take seriously any SNP majority, but if the SNP is returned to office, I hope it will do better than it has done over the past 18 years. I assure the hon. Gentleman that we on the Government Benches are not anticipating defeat; we are working for victory.”

“Not least because he has just turned up, let me say that I always agree with my boss. The reality is that we are clear and unequivocal that we do not want the break-up of the United Kingdom. As Scots, we made our choice in 2014, and that was for a better future within the United Kingdom.”