Today, the Financial Times reported that the United Kingdom’s productivity is at its lowest level since 1850. It has also been reported that UK Government ministers have been asked to model cuts to their capital expenditure plans of up to 10 per cent. Does the First Minister share my concern about the impact that that will have on both Scotland’s economic prospects and its public finances? Will he continue to press the UK Labour Government to reassess that and to plan for growth, not austerity?

Michelle Thomson puts a very fair point to me. We have had 14 years of the austerity experiment, and it has been a complete disaster. Our public services are under acute pressure and productivity in the economy has not strengthened because we have not had the sustained investment that is required.

The Scottish Government’s capital budget is facing a cut of about 9 per cent, and we are experiencing increases in costs because of multiple factors with construction cost inflation, which in some circumstances exceeds 35 per cent of costs. Those are the realities and they require investment in our economy.

In light of the question from Michelle Thomson, I would appeal to the United Kingdom Government to use the budget on 30 October to end austerity and to start investing in the economy. That is what we need in order to fuel growth. Austerity has failed, and Labour will fail Scotland if it does not end austerity.