Working with the Conservatives when they were in government “could not have been more awful” but relationships with Westminster are “incomparably better” now Labour is in power, John Swinney has said.
The Scottish First Minister made the comment after talks with Sir Keir Starmer in Edinburgh, with the Prime Minister and the leaders of all the devolved administrations joining the British-Irish Council summit on Friday.
Mr Swinney said afterwards he had “made no secret of the fact that relationships between the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government today are incomparably better than they were immediately before the general election”.
Hitting out at the Tories, he said: “The relationship with the last United Kingdom government latterly – I speak only for the government I lead – was awful.
“They could not have been more disrespectful, they could not have been more awful.”
The dialogue is incomparably better
The SNP Government at Holyrood and the Conservative administration at Westminster clashed on a range of issues over the years, including transgender rights and the Scottish Government’s plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks cans and bottles.
Mr Swinney said he has held a number of meetings with Sir Keir since Labour’s election victory in July.
Just days after moving into Downing Street, the Labour leader travelled to Edinburgh for talks with the First Minister, and Mr Swinney said the pair have had a “number of one-to-one meetings” since then, including on Friday morning.
He added that Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden – a senior figure in Sir Keir’s Government – has also been involved in “engagement and dialogue” with the devolved administrations.
“The dialogue is incomparably better,” Mr Swinney said, adding that he wants the governments to “work constructively to secure the best outcomes for the people we represent”.
The First Minister said while the leaders may not agree on everything, they “come at these discussions in good faith”.
Mr Swinney’s comments were echoed by the first ministers of Northern Ireland and Wales.
Michelle O’Neill, the Northern Ireland First Minister, stressed “it is how you disagree that is important”, as she complained: “I think the tenure of the Tories in government was one of disrespect, one that drove an austerity agenda that decimated our public services, one that very much left people behind.”
With Labour having worked to improve relationships with the devolved governments, Ms O’Neill added: “I welcome the fact that there is a determination for a reset.”
While she added it is “early days” and that relationships will be “tested of course over time”, the Sinn Fein politician added she believes there is a “genuine willingness” to work between the parties.
Stormont’s deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the test for the UK Government will be whether it listens to concerns flagged by the devolved nations. The DUP minister said she raised issues around changes to inheritance tax on agricultural properties and the increase to employer national insurance contributions during the BIC meeting.
“The key test for this Government will be, will they listen to us?” she said.
“Will they listen to the many, many thousands of farmers from across the United Kingdom and their concern about agricultural relief? Will they listen to the thousands and thousands of businesses across the United Kingdom, across Northern Ireland, concerned about national insurance contributions?
“I think that’s the test for this Government. We raised that today with them, and we’ll see what happens.”
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “You would expect me to say it has been a much better relationship as a Labour politician, and it genuinely has.”
She added that the fact the Prime Minister had taken part in the BIC talks for the first time since 2007 “indicates an eagerness to make sure we co-operate”.
Adding there has been a “transformation” in the relationship between the governments, she recalled: “We had a flooding in Wales last week and the Prime Minister picked up the phone that very evening to check if there was anything we needed. That would never have happened before.”
Irish premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the BIC summit in Edinburgh, but neither participated in the post-event press conference, instead opting to head back to Ireland earlier than planned due to the incoming Storm Darragh.
Speaking to reporters on the fringes of the event before departing, Mr Harris praised Sir Keir for his attendance, characterising it as a “really important step forward”.
“We’ve had a very good British-Irish Council, it’s the 25th year of the British-Irish Council, a council that was set up under the structure of the Good Friday Agreement and indeed the first time in many years, I think since Gordon Brown, that we’ve had a British Prime Minister attend a working part of the council,” he said.
“I really want to acknowledge that leadership from Prime Minister Starmer.
“I think it is a really important step forward because this is an opportunity to come together across these islands to discuss issues of mutual concern.”
