A US business ambassador has said the Scottish diaspora in America are ready to support small and medium businesses at home.
On Wednesday’s BBC Scotland Drivetime Iain Houston, an ambassador for the Scottish Business Network (SBN) in Washington and former US Congress policy staffer, was asked about trade ties between Scotland and the US.
When asked his opinion on a possible UK/US trade deal, Houston, who is currently an honorary lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, agreed with the presenter that factors such as Brexit made a deal unlikely but stressed the importance of Scotland’s work to build trade relations.
Houston said: “Your listeners need to understand that many trade deals are happening.
“Comprehensive, mini-trade deals directly with states - there are about 20 in all that have been negotiated – so that’s been the avenue for engagement directly with states -I think that’s why, a good approach, a creative approach.
“Scotland itself has been really terrific with states and cities – so that’s a real point of strategic and creative, diplomatic and economic engagement.”
The presenter then asked how strong the trading relationships are between Scotland and American states.
Houston, a member of the GlobalScot Scottish Government initiative, said the breadth of relationships are “huge”.
He added: “The trading relationships between Scotland and states is really quite significant.
“There are so many individuals, and companies, and entities from the diaspora that are ready to provide support within that state dynamic to support Scotland with its ambitions to enhance trade - mostly for the small and medium enterprises in Scotland - which is a key sector of economic output of Scotland with its trading engagement with the US.
“The Scottish Government has done, I think, some wise things recently, to develop a framework for mobilising the Scottish diaspora to help with investment back into Scotland and I think that’s a wise course of action to take.”
A row was triggered last month after it emerged Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had told senior officials abroad that meetings between SNP ministers and overseas governments must be organised through the UK Government and attended by its own officials.
The move was criticised by the SNP while Dr Kirsty Hughes, an expert on international relations, said diplomats abroad would “see the Scottish Government being treated like children”.
Robertson also wrote to Cleverly calling on him to withdraw the guidance, raising concerns that it could damage “Scottish trade, cultural exchanges and education and Scottish interests in general”.
Houston also touched on the fact that both the PM and FM are the first Asians to hold office as “that’s an important message to send to America - the diversity.”
On his trip to the US, Rishi Sunak was asked whether he had made a “broken promise” to voters about the ambition outlined in the 2019 Conservative manifesto to strike a trade deal with the US within the first three years of Government.
The Prime Minister said the war in Ukraine and the pandemic meant that the “macroeconomic situation” had changed.
He added: “Actually, what I’ll be talking to President Biden about today is how can the UK and the US work together to ensure security for our citizens? I think that’s the thing that we should be focusing on right now.”
