Humza Yousaf’s programme for government was the new First Minister’s chance to separate himself, once and for all, from the legacy of his predecessor. Nicola Sturgeon said herself when resigning that ‘any party that doesn’t change after two decades in power is daft’ – but do Yousaf’s proposals promise the reset the country needs?
‘We are unashamedly anti-poverty and pro-growth,’ the First Minister announced at the start of his speech, sounding eerily like his leadership race rival Kate Forbes. Drawing on the experience of his own family, Yousaf made a show of the Scottish government’s pro-business approach — despite having come under fire from opposition politicians and business owners alike for being out of touch with the industry. In fact, a recent survey found that of 400 companies, only 8 per cent believed the government understood the business environment. There are concerns both within and outside the SNP about the Green influence over government attitudes towards business. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross voiced these today, bemoaning the ‘extremist Greens’ for not believing ‘in a wealthier Scotland’. In a pushback against this narrative, Yousaf pledged to work with local government in order to help small businesses increase their productivity and to offer them financial support – though he hasn’t been particularly clear about the detail.
On the surface Yousaf’s commitments sound wide ranging yet there appears little substance to many of his promises.
More solid commitments could be found in the First Minister’s transport pledges: to build six more ferries by 2026 and complete A9 dualling – one of Scotland’s most dangerous roads – from Inverness to Perth. Voters will have to see progress before they believe it, though: the Scottish government has taken six years, at a cost of more than three times the original £97 million contract, to build two ferries (both of which remain incomplete). And while the SNP pledged 15 years ago to dual the ‘killer’ A9 – years of delays have seen the death toll from road accidents rise.
However rural communities may find some solace in Yousaf’s plans to devote 10 per cent of the £750 million he has pledged to support affordable homes in Scotland towards building more island houses. Those who own holiday homes will be less excited to hear the government will allow councils to apply a premium on council tax rates for second houses. And those in the business of renting these out throughout the year may become positively enraged where Yousaf has pledged to ‘support Scotland’s thriving tourism sector’ while refusing to back down on short-term let licences.
Historically prone to embellishing the state of the NHS, Yousaf’s description of Scotland’s A&Es being ‘the best performing…in the UK’ is a little disingenuous: more than a quarter of patients presenting to Scottish emergency departments still have to wait more than four hours to be seen while new figures show that more than 800,000 Scots are stuck on NHS waiting lists. Although Yousaf made the right noises on other healthcare issues – improving access to GP services and focusing on delivering mental health support – he was thin on the detail. He has however announced his government will consider an ‘outright ban’ on disposable vapes in a bid to reduce use in young people.
Last month, junior doctors in Scotland accepted the government’s pay deal of a 12.4 per cent uplift this year plus inflationary pay rises for the next three years. In a further nod to the ongoing healthcare workforce crisis, Yousaf has promised to up care worker wages to £12 an hour which, he says, will increase wages by £2,000 a year for full time employees. Where Yousaf has been less clear is on the timeline of the controversial National Care Service proposal, which would seek to centralise a number of care services, including social care and care of the elderly. This ambiguity is possibly a good thing: the idea is a controversial one and both councils and health unions have expressed concerns about the ‘costly and disruptive’ plans.
While no one could accuse the SNP leader of shying away from blaming Westminster for limiting his government’s resources – particularly on the issue of drug consumption rooms – unity appeared to be a significant theme in Yousaf’s speech. He spent time discussing how his government was planning to criminalise misogynistic abuse and improve protections against bigotry and racism. Closer to parliament, the First Minister used it to justify his party’s ongoing relationship with the Scottish Greens while urging his opponents to ‘when you can, work with us’. Douglas Ross hinted that Yousaf may want to take his own advice, given the opposition party has proposed a ‘Right to Recovery Bill’ that many argue would help progress support for drug users in Scotland — rather than waiting for Westminster to devolve more powers. No SNP MSPs, however, have supported Ross’s proposal.
Interestingly, the topic of independence didn’t get much of a look in. Instead, the bulk of the Scottish government’s commitments this year fall into providing better support for children and investing in social security payments generally. Over £400 million will be put towards the Scottish Child Payment, while the First Minister has promised that universal free school will be provided to all pupils in the final two years of primary school. Increased pay for childcare staff will, Yousaf hopes, help recruitment in this sector.
On the surface Yousaf’s commitments sound wide ranging yet there appears little substance to many of his promises. This programme for government both laments the UK government for the limits of devolution while remaining vague on the proposals Yousaf has made. Will it convince voters? Douglas Ross slated the plans for recycling ideas ‘committed by his predecessor’ while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it wasn’t ‘bold enough’. If the Scottish government would only focus more on what it can do rather than blame Westminster for what it can’t, perhaps Yousaf could have presented a more convincing programme.
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