BIG Partnership’s Post

Responding to the parliamentary confirmation of John Swinney MSP as First Minister, Dr Liz Cameron CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “Congratulations to John Swinney as he is formally elected to the post of First Minister of Scotland. “As First Minister Swinney works to get his team in place, our urgent plea is for a pro-business and pro-economy policy agenda. “The cost of doing business, labour shortages, diverging taxation systems are all drags on growth and investment. That’s why we need the Scottish Government to work closely with Scotland’s business community to restore business and investor confidence by adopting a clear focus on economic growth. “We all need to rally together to back Scotland’s businesses and we stand ready to work with the new First Minister to make that happen.” https://lnkd.in/ezTJsK7k #scottishbusiness #scotland #business #economy #politics

The Scottish Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Social Security published its Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2025-26: Third sector funding principles report today. The recommendations are clear and unequivocal. For example: 'The Committee believes the first step is to ensure three-year funding is provided as the default (noting the need for flexibility around certain projects) and that funding arrangements take account of inflation. The Committee therefore calls on the Scottish Government to set out its plan on how it will address these priorities.' Read the full report at this link: https://lnkd.in/eTkbdjaa

REALPOLITIK … As of 5th July public affairs gets serious … Once new ministers and special advisers are appointed, politics moves to a different level. The civil service machine kicks in to protect their ministers and to ensure no mistakes or surprises. It will soon become clear that ministers and their advisers will engage with public affairs consultancies on the basis of the quality of their client lists not on how many candidate fundraisers they supported and funded.😩 I was once told by Shriti Vadera that the quality of conversations with HM Treasury is determined by the quality of the retained independent economic analysis. I am sure that Reeves’s senior advisors will take the same stance. As an aside, Shriti would be a superb Governor of the Bank of England. So this is now the time for grey hair advice and senior counsel. Starmer and Reeves are serious players. So is Sue Gray. Realpolitik … I am looking forward to the challenge of helping clients engage with a new government. This is what makes public affairs so special and commercially important for clients. Onwards and upwards!

Updayes on capital gains tax? Read this very informative post 🏙🏠 #capitalgainstax

The only way to fix the North is over-spending on the tax base. It’s called investing. Jim O’Neill talks to Peston on Rest is Money this week. Eloquent. Common sense. This doc is a long read. The conclusion includes a punchline which makes Kim McGuinness look like her policy hunch is right. “The North of England's aspiration -to emulate the success of cities like Leeds, which have been able to generate as much tax revenue as is spent on services, at least during certain periods in the recent past-is credible. Increasing capital budgets, appropriate use of private finance and the leverage achieved on both will generate significant private sector led activity, most notably in energy as shown by work by Cambridge Econometrics in the revised Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review Net Zero scenario which we commissioned earlier this year. That includes E4 leverage for every El in both industrial decarbonisation and retrofit of bulldings. Partnered with re-prioritising revenue budgets towards prevention, it is possible that in the longer term the current subsidies to the North in revenue terms can begin to reduce. The dependence on more productive parts of England to fund public services here can only be addressed by raising productivity in the North, while simultaneously constraining the growth of inequality-related costs. This is the only approach to sustainably increase the UK's tax base and end its over reliance on London and the South East, and reduce the ballooning cost of acute services, not least the NHS hospital based services and Children's Social Care.

Local Authorities play a crucial role in delivering essential services and its encouraging to see significant measures in support in Labour’s new budget. A few highlights: - 3.2% increase in core spending with £1.3billion in new grants (including £600 million on social care) - reforms to the Local Government Finanve Settlement to align funding with needs and local revenue - £1billion boost for children’s services - continued (albeit reduced) UK Shares Propperity Fund providing £900million for local growth -£233million earmarked for homelessness prevention in 25/26 -allocations of £1.3billiom for new schools and £500milliom for roads £5billion has been allocated to boost house builders and the Affordable Homes Programme. Local Authorities will have to wait on further details from the new NPPF to understand how they will meet the new mandatory housing targets.

This week, the Federal Government and several state governments distance themselves from the CFMEU following allegations of systemic criminal activity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, highlighting the shared democratic values of Australia and the US. Finally, the unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in June, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. To stay up to date on the latest political developments across the nation, subscribe to our free publication: bit.ly/GRACsignup. #AusPol #Politics #PublicAffairs #WeeklyWrapUp #FinanceUpdate #AustralianPolitics #Politics #EconomicPolicy #CFMEU

Read 👉: ‘The Insider’s Guide to Preparing for Power’, a new interview with our Chairman Gus O’Donnell published recently in the New Statesman With UK gearing up for a general election later this year, Gus draws on his former life as cabinet secretary to three prime ministers with his views about forming the next government. 🗣️ “My advice to [a new government] is to be very clear about the outcomes they want to achieve and to leave a certain amount of flexibility as to how…. It may be that the right answer in Blackpool is not the right answer in Liverpool or Manchester or Leeds”. Having served as the head of the UK’s civil service, his advice for managing the transition between changing administrations is vital for all politicians to hear. Gus sees the impartiality of the civil service as a key check-and-balance for policies aiming to boost the UK’s position on the world stage: 🗣️ “I still believe that we have enormous strengths; our university base is fantastic. There’s a huge amount of private money that wants to be invested in the UK because we’ve got a fantastic rule of law… We’ve got all sorts of ways of influencing the world, which we should be using for good.” Frontier’s Public Policy practice works closely with government departments, using cutting edge economics to solve policy problems, and works with leading private and public sector organisations. 🖥️ Read the full article: https://okt.to/ZIn9w1 Learn more about our Public Policy work at Frontier: https://okt.to/Yky1pR

Don't make the mistake of selectively acting like things are business as usual. Norms are out the window. (See: cabinet picks; the progress of H.R. 9495, a bill that would give the incoming presidential administration power to arbitrarily strip certain nonprofits' tax-exempt status; etc.) This is NOT the time to avoid discomfort, rely on outdated bureaucratic practices, or abide by old standards. It's time to be courageous, say what needs to be said, and do what needs to be done. Lives and futures depend on it.

📣"Scotland’s National Outcomes should guide every budget decision. We must ensure spending is aligned with human rights and real accountability. It’s time for the National Performance Framework to drive change” Our Research Officer Dr Alison Hosie gave evidence last week, to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee inquiry into Scotland’s proposed National Outcomes. In today’s challenging economic landscape, aligning Scotland’s budget with its National Outcomes, as set out in the National Performance Framework (NPF), is more critical than ever. By integrating human rights into every stage of our budgetary process, we can ensure public spending is driving real, measurable outcomes for all. We need greater transparency, accountability and capacity building across public bodies to fully realise the potential of the NPF. Now is the time to connect what we aim to achieve with how we allocate resources, ensuring that Scotland’s future is built on fairness, equality and the protection of rights. 🔍Read more in our written evidence, available on our website: https://lnkd.in/evameuwW