Powers Demanded as Brexit Staff Shortages Continue
The SNP will demand a Bill to allow the creation of a unique Scottish visa to address labour shortages in Scotland.
Arbroath MP and the SNP’s Scotland & International Affairs Spokesperson, Stephen Gethins, will seek an amendment to the Scotland Act 1998 to enable the Scottish Government to establish the scheme.
The move will come as part of a Ten Minute Rule Bill that the SNP MP will move tomorrow, Thursday 17th October.
It comes after remarks from Scottish Labour’s Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie during the General Election campaign that signalled Labour was open to talks on the visa – followed yesterday by Scottish Labour MP John Grady telling a Westminster Hall debate that the UK government was working on proposals to bring more workers to Scotland. Mr Grady had UK Labour were āabsolutely in favour of bringing talented people into Scotlandā, and that he understood Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was “absolutely determined that that takes place“.
But the Labour Government today slapped down the idea, confirming that it is “not at all considering a Scottish visa system“. The SNP has now insisted that all Scottish MPs should be supporting Mr Gethins’ Bill, given any prospect of action by the UK Government has disappeared.
The SNP has long called for a Scottish visa to address labour shortages in Scotland due to Westminsterās hard Brexit and anti-immigration policies – problems acknowledged by Scottish MPs and MSPs from across the political spectrum. The loss of freedom of movement has led to staff shortages across Scotlandās NHS as well as in key industry sectors including agriculture, hospitality and construction.
The SNP has said the social care sector is crying out for workers, and points to the scenes of fruit left to rot in the fields of Angus due to a lack of workers to harvest it.
The impact of the Tories’ unnecessary and incredibly damaging hard Brexit, which Labour have long since thrown their weight behind, continues be felt keenly here in Angus and across Scotland.
GRAEME
There are key areas of our economy and public services badly affected, with worker shortages continuing.
Scotland needs immigration – it does not need the Westminster approach to immigration and to immigrants.
With Labour unequivocally backtracking on any suggestion that they were going to address this, I welcome Stephen Gethins’ move to lodge a Bill that would seek to bring powers over immigration where they should be – Holyrood.
During the election campaign Scottish Labour claimed a Labour government was open to a Scottish visa, but now we know the truth and it’s the same old Westminster story – big promises and no delivery.Ā
STEPHEN GETHINS, MP FOR ARBROATH & BROUGHTY FERRY
This is incredibly embarrassing for Scottish Labour, but it’s the Scottish economy and our NHS that will pay the price for this chaos as we continue to face crippling staff shortages thanks to Westminster’s hard Brexit and immigration policies.
The SNP is absolutely clear that we need a Scottish visa to address our demographic challenges and the damage caused by Brexit – it’s now up to Scottish Labour MPs to back us in those calls and put Scotland’s interests first.
