First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 15 January 2026.
Keith Brown
Scottish National Party
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update regarding the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the United Kingdom Government in relation to the distribution of local growth fund allocations in Scotland. (S6F-04587)
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
Despite repeated requests over the past year, we have had no meaningful discussion with the UK Government on the local growth fund. The Secretary of State for Scotland wrote to us on the day of the announcement, stating that UK Government officials would be in contact, but we have no more detail on the programme. The announcement has come far too late.
The Scottish Government and local authorities repeatedly warned the UK Government that any reduction in funding would have a devastating impact, and we can now see that in the reports of some organisations issuing redundancy notices. The programme does not come close to matching the shared prosperity fund that it will replace, and it leaves nine Scottish local authorities with no allocation whatsoever.
Keith Brown
Scottish National Party
The First Minister will be aware that, in Wales, the Welsh Labour Government will decide how to spend £547 million of local growth funding, whereas, in Scotland, it appears that the UK Government intends to spend Scotland’s £140 million for us.
At the same time, analysis shows that Forth Valley, which includes my Constituency, faces a cut of around a third compared with current funding levels, which threatens employability, skills and business support programmes that sustain local jobs. In my constituency, local groups will lose jobs.
Does the First Minister agree that that represents blatant political bias, with Scotland’s communities being not only short-changed—[ Interruption .] I do not know why the Tories do not like that being raised. Does he agree that Scotland’s communities are being not only short-changed but denied the right to decide their own priorities? While Labour politicians in Wales have defended devolution, they called Starmer’s approach a constitutional outrage. Is it not time for Labour MSPs in the Scottish Parliament to do the same or to accept that Scotland would be far better served by a Scottish Parliament that had the full powers of independence?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
There are two issues that I want to address in response to the matter that Mr Brown has raised with me. The first is the fact that, when it comes to the quantum of support that is available, the resources that are available in Scotland are dwarfed by those that are available in Wales, so there is no equity in the arrangements that have been put in place.
The second point is that, in Wales, where there is a Labour Administration, the UK Labour Government has decided to allocate that money to the Welsh Government to enable distribution to take place in a way that is complementary to the priorities of the Welsh Government. That is a rational and logical position to adopt. In Scotland, the UK Labour Government has engaged in no dialogue with us whatsoever about the delivery of this funding, and it is being deployed in a way that was chosen by the UK Government with no regard paid to the priorities that are democratically agreed by this Parliament.
Worse than all of that, people in Scotland are now losing jobs because of the decisions of a Labour Government. When we add that to the decisions about employer national insurance contributions, it shows that the Labour Government is costing Scotland jobs. We cannot afford to have any more control from Labour in Scotland.
Alexander Stewart
Conservative
Clackmannanshire has just received £9.8 million of investment through the local growth fund. That money came from the UK Government, as already has been discussed. It came openly, transparently and in partnership with local leaders. In contrast, the 2026-27 Scottish budget has been called “misleading” and “not good enough” by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Who is to blame for the flattering figures that have been identified by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Fraser of Allander Institute? Is it the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, or is it the First Minister?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
I think that we are going to have to have some consistency on the Conservative benches. Alexander Stewart has turned up and spoken to Parliament as an advocate and a cheerleader for the Labour Government in London, when his party leader is denouncing the Labour Government in London. The Conservatives have got to get their act together—or, should I say, those who are left, because many of them are getting chucked out because they are dabbling with Reform. It is all over for the Tory party.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
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.
The Conservatives are a centre-right political party in the UK, founded in the 1830s. They are also known as the Tory party.
With a lower-case ‘c’, ‘conservative’ is an adjective which implies a dislike of change, and a preference for traditional values.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
