Scotland – in the House of Commons at on 25 February 2026.
Torcuil Crichton
Labour, Na h-Eileanan an Iar
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support Scottish football fans travelling to the FIFA world cup 2026.
Douglas Alexander
The Secretary of State for Scotland
My hon. Friend and I both know that the tartan army will be out in full force supporting Scotland’s FIFA world cup campaign this summer. The UK Government are working with partners in the host countries and the Scottish Football Association to provide guidance to supporters on travel, security and consular assistance. We are determined to help everyone have a fantastic and safe world cup, hopefully beyond the group stages.
Torcuil Crichton
Labour, Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Despite fears of trade tariffs, I have checked and the price of a pint of beer in Boston, Massachusetts, where Scotland is due to play its first game, is about $8. That is a bargain, because the SNP wants to charge its fans £750 a pint to have a drink with Stephen Flynn, who, unusually, is not in his seat today. I am always open to a pint with the Opposition, but would the Secretary of State rather have a beer in Boston with the tartan army or a pint of bitter with the SNP?
Douglas Alexander
The Secretary of State for Scotland
I commend my hon. Friend for his question. I am not sure that I’ll be coming down the road to have a pint with Stephen Flynn any time soon. Come to think of it, I would walk 500 miles to avoid having a beer and a blether with him.
Pete Wishart
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Constitution), SNP Deputy Leader, Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
I am quite surprised at that last question, because one of the things that Scotland qualifying for the world cup brings is a unity to the nation. We are all looking forward to Scotland competing for the first time since 1998. We will all get selfies—it will be us with the tartan army. Does the Secretary of State think that there is any chance that we will get a photograph with the Prime Minister and Anas Sarwar?
Douglas Alexander
The Secretary of State for Scotland
I respectfully point out that we qualified under a Labour Government this time, and the last time, when I was there in the Stade de France, there was a UK Labour Government.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
