Plans to create 53,000 new energy jobs for Scots will be confirmed by the Labour Government in next week’s King’s Speech.New Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said “huge” progress will be made imminently on creating the publicly-owned GB Energy.In an interview with the Record, he also gave the thumbs up to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s plan for elected mayors.Keir Starmer’s landslide win was boosted by a massive rise in Scottish Labour MPs from one in 2019 to 37.Murray was a lone voice on the green benches for years and he was given the plumb role of Scottish Secretary by the Prime Minister.A key part of his job will be ensuring Labour manifesto commitments such as GB Energy are implemented.Labour has said the investment firm, headquartered in Scotland, will cut energy bills and create over 50,000 jobs.The Edinburgh South MP predicted GB Energy will feature prominently in the King’s Speech next week, which will lay out the Starmer Government’s legislative plans.Speaking in his plush office in Dover House in Whitehall, he said: “GB Energy will be a massive priority and we’ll see some huge progress on that in the next few weeks.“There will be legislative progress.
I would imagine it will be in the King’s Speech.”He said: “It obviously gets our commitment and our mission moving, but it also sends out an incredibly strong signal to the market that we’re going to get on with this.”Murray also talked up the high-profile reset between the UK and Scottish Governments.Relations were poor when the Tories were in charge, but one of Starmer’s first visits was to Scotland to meet SNP First Minister John Swinney.He said: “It was about not just resetting the relationship, which is hugely important, but also doing politics
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk