Mairi McAllan is a rising star of the Cabinet, but her success depends on winning over a sceptical and weary business community, writes TERRY MURDEN
Given the circumstances surrounding Michael Matheson’s departure as Health Secretary it is no surprise that he, and his successor Neil Gray, are commanding the media’s attention around Humza Yousaf’s enforced Cabinet reshuffle. No less important, however, is Mr Gray’s replacement who takes on a second front bench portfolio less than three years since being elected to the Scottish parliament.
Mairi McAllan has extracted her Net Zero responsibility from the Transport department and bolted it on to Wellbeing Economy and Energy with the clear intention of focusing on the green credentials of business and industry.
Some MSPs will have daughters older than 30-year-old Ms McAllan but, as they say, if you’re good enough you are old enough, while the opposite is not necessarily the case.
The Glasgow University graduate’s CV is quickly stacking up with career milestones. She co-founded human rights organisation RebLaw Scotland and became a trainee solicitor before embarking on a political journey as special adviser to Roseanna Cunningham and then Nicola Sturgeon. She ran an unsuccessful campaign to become an MSP in 2017 before being elected to represent Clydesdale in May 2021. Ms Sturgeon immediately rewarded her with a place in the new government as Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform.
Mr Yousaf clearly shares his predecessor’s admiration for Ms McAllan’s abilities, appointing her Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition in his first front bench last March, thus making her the first Millennial to hold Cabinet office. Her new role will be her biggest challenge so far and, despite her rapid rise and range of responsibilities, she is largely untested and will be seen as something of a blank canvas for the business community.
Her appointment may have come as a surprise, with some expecting Mr Yousaf to offer an olive branch to his defeated leadership rival Kate Forbes. Probably too early for that. For those who think there is a shortage of talent in the SNP ranks another contender who might have fit the bill was the more experienced Michelle Thomson who has done the business rounds and presents well in parliament.
Ms McAllan will need to apply her obvious hunger for action to the pressing needs of business leaders who are becoming weary of unfulfilled promises from the SNP-Green government. Any further breaches of commitments will soon see her star tarnished.
Businesses will not tolerate continued dithering and outright betrayals. There is little point creating committees and advisory bodies if they become mere box-ticking exercises. As one former Scottish Enterprise CEO said to me, the government is good at encouraging feedback and regular meetings, but then takes no notice. Another businessman working in the private equity field said consultation on the setting up the Scottish National Investment Bank was, in reality, a briefing on what had been decided by ministers.
Fundamentally, businesses need a minister who understands the challenges and difficulties they face and then, notwithstanding budget constraints, takes appropriate action.
Ms McAllan’s to-do list cannot be skewed in favour of the SNP-Green agenda that sees business as a cash cow to pay for endless vote-bribing giveaways.
Nor can she continue the same hostility the SNP-Green administration has shown towards those industries which form the backbone of the Scottish economy. Oil & gas, alcohol and hospitality have all been seen as expendable in a dash towards creating a “fairer and greener” country through tax rises and ill-conceived campaigns.
Her first three months should focus on reforming business rates and the planning regime. She needs to put a stop to the drip-drip of regulation and other interfering measures that slow down investment and wider business activity.
The energy transition is clearly a focus of her new role, but her fundamental task is to prove that she is Secretary for Growth. She should start by re-reading, or familiarising herself with, the Audit Scotland report damning the government for a lack of leadership and clarity around its National Strategy for Economic Transformation, produced by Kate Forbes who remains on the sidelines.
Beyond that she needs to take note of those becoming exasperated at the wrong directions her colleagues in Cabinet seem to be intent on taking.
Terry Murden held senior positions at The Sunday Times, The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and The Northern Echo and is now editor of Daily Business
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