Warm reception for SCDI – London Visit 2023

The breadth of SCDI’s membership and constructive approach of our members has always ensured we are a trusted voice for senior Westminster Politicians and business leaders.

Our recent visit helped us reconnect with SCDI members across sectors. This included members with a strong Scottish operation keen to ensure their London office has greater awareness of developments in Scotland as well as London-based members and companies that operate in Scotland and have an interest in political and economic developments in Scotland.

A key feature of the visit was the willingness to engage with and learn from SCDI members making a difference to Scotland’s economy. There was a strong alignment between SCDI priorities and government and opposition MPs and business leaders on a number of critical issues including productivity and the specific challenges facing remote and rural parts of Scotland, which were fresh in our minds having come straight from an excellent day with members in the Outer Hebrides the week before.

On Monday, we explored joint working with Business in the Community Chief Executive, Mary Macleod before finding out more about the fantastic co-working and event space available to Scottish organisations in Scotland House London. Scotland’s ‘man in London’, John Webster was kind enough to take the time to meet to discuss opportunities for collaboration and creating a wellbeing economy.

Day one rounded off with pressing the case for cross-border rail and energy infrastructure investment with National Infrastructure Commission CEO James Heath. Every day is a school day and a chance encounter with Professor of Applied Earth Observation, School of Geosciences at University of Edinburgh, Iain Woodhouse, who’d been giving evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee in a session focused on maritime issues and space-based capabilities earlier that day afforded me the chance to learn about navigation rights and the offshore/subsea infrastructure that have an impact on defence and security in the Arctic and High North as part of the Committee’s inquiry into Defence in Scotland: The North Atlantic and the High North. Iain brought me up to speed on the role space-based capabilities play in polar observation and surveillance, and the opportunities this presents for Scotland and its space sector as well as his incredible side-gig as Knowledge and Outreach Lead for innovative Scottish business Earthblox.

Tuesday morning found me in Dover House to congratulate Lord Offord on his new appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade before raising whisky member concerns re the absence of energy cost support and pressing on clarification on delivery of the Scottish CCUS Cluster whilst Clare and Gareth talked growth and productivity with senior officials in the Department for Business and Trade.

Scotland Office Director, Lynn McDonald OBE shared fascinating insights from her long and distinguished civil service career across multiple government departments before we headed to Portcullis House to meet with the Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Pete Wishart. It was heartening to see a hard-working MP getting on with the job scrutinising critical issues impacting on Scotland in areas including space, security, international trade and rural communities and working across parties to make a difference.