Exclusive:SNP spent decades 'selling Scotland to Scots' rather than rest of world, Ian Murray claims

In a letter discussing the work of the Scotland Office, the Scotland Secretary accused both the SNP of Tories of contributing to 15 years of “failure”, and damaging the success of the country’s exports.

Mr Murray, the MP for Edinburgh South, claimed the UK Government was now pushing "Brand Scotland" to transform this, coming on the back of three successive trade deals being announced. In the past few weeks Labour have secured trade deals with the US, India, and EU.

The SNP claimed the agreements were “minor”, and that only the SNP were putting Scotland’s interests first.

In his letter to Patricia Ferguson, the Labour MP and chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Mr Murray said: “For more than a decade, Scotland had two governments focused on selling Scotland to the Scots rather than selling what our brilliant country has to offer the rest of the world to create jobs, opportunities, and investment.

“The impact of that has been stark: in 2023, exports were 20.5 per cent of GDP in Scotland, but 31.1 per cent of UK GDP. If Scotland’s exports had been 31.1 per cent of its GDP in 2023, they would have been £62 billion, £21 billion higher than their actual value.

‘Promoting Brand Scotland’

“That is the opportunity we have to grasp by promoting Brand Scotland after more than 15 years of failure from successive UK and Scottish governments.

“The ambition for Brand Scotland is to target key markets across the globe. Scotland Office officials are working to support a trade mission to China in June with the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and Minister McNeill will be leading a trade mission to Spain for Women led business in Scotland.”

Mr Murray also claimed future trade missions could include visits to the Far East, India, Southern Africa, Brazil, and Australia, all organised in collaboration with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and other key industry stakeholders.

SNP economy spokesperson Dave Doogan MP claimed issues with exports and the economy were down to Westminster.

He said: "Over the last decade, Scotland has consistently been the most attractive place for inward investment in the UK, anywhere outside of London - but international trade is reserved to Westminster and successive Labour Party and Tory governments have failed Scotland, and treated our economic interests as an afterthought.

"By imposing a hard Brexit and refusing to rejoin the EU, single market and customs union, Keir Starmer's Labour government is costing Scotland billions of pounds in lost trade and economic growth every year - meaning less money available for the NHS and public services.

"The Labour government's own figures show its hard Brexit policy is the biggest barrier to Scottish trade - causing a 4 per cent hit to UK GDP and a 15 per cent hit to UK trade intensity. That dwarfs the recent minor UK trade agreements, which again saw Westminster sideline Scotland's interests by selling out Scottish fishing and prioritising the English luxury car industry over key Scottish exports like Salmon and Whisky, which were left with huge US tariffs.”