The First Minister will share my astonishment that the United Kingdom Labour Government has shamefully cut £140 million to £160 million in winter fuel payments to Scottish pensioners this year, while reportedly providing the Scotland Office with a similar sum—£150 million—with which to undermine devolution. What does the First Minister believe that that says about Labour’s priorities and its approach to and respect for Scotland?

I was surprised by those reports, because I thought that we would be entering an era in which, after the damage that was done to the powers of the Scottish Parliament by the most recent Conservative Government in the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 and the Subsidy Control Act 2022—damage that was resisted by the Labour Party while it was in opposition—we would see those provisions being reversed. It would be a good thing if those provisions were to be reversed, because they directly erode the powers of this Parliament. The public were never asked. Brexit was used as an excuse for eroding the powers of this Parliament.

Where there is proper and effective devolution, this Parliament should have the responsibility to take forward work in those areas for which it has responsibility. It should not be possible for those powers to be undermined by the actions of the United Kingdom Government. I hope that the UK Government will take the lead from Mr Gibson’s question and reverse those undesirable provisions.