The Budget and UK-EU Relations

This week, I was proud to co-sponsor a Ten Minute Rule Bill in favour of a UK-EU customs union alongside my colleague Al Pinkerton MP, which passed by a single vote. It was a long overdue step and a historic victory towards repairing our relationship with the EU. For me, this vote matters because of what it means back home in North East Fife.

In recent weeks I have spoken to countless constituents about their expectations for the Budget and their concerns about the cost of living. Overwhelmingly, I heard frustration and sadness at a missed opportunity. Families, workers and small business owners were looking for hope, and they didn’t get it.

In the Budget debate I raised the pressure on our local high streets and the vital role they play in our communities. The Government continues to refuse to revisit the criteria for banking hubs, despite the damage caused by branch closures. This is an issue which I raised again in the Chamber and had a subsequent meeting with the Minister to discuss the access to banking North East Fife.

Pubs, shops and cafes are struggling with high costs and reduced footfall, and there was a real failure to properly support hospitality and tourism through VAT changes. I also want to see the Scottish Government use business rates properly so Scottish businesses get the same relief as those elsewhere in the UK.

There are other pressures that deserve action too, such as Local Housing Allowance which is now far below real market rents. Electric vehicle taxes risk penalising rural communities, where public transport simply isn’t a realistic alternative. The Family Farm Tax continues to hang over farms that have been families’ livelihoods for generations – none of these issues were addressed.

I took the chance to speak up for our whisky industry too. With Eden Mill recently entering administration, the failure to properly support Scotch whisky, an industry supporting over 40,000 jobs, is deeply disappointing.

A customs union with the EU is the single biggest step we can take to unlock growth, ease costs and rebuild opportunity. This week’s vote was a huge step in the right direction, but it must be the beginning, not the end.