Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra is expected to call for skills policy to be devolved to Scotland’s regions in his first speech at the UK Labour conference, saying Holyrood has concentrated too much power and money in Edinburgh.
Marra will argue that if Scotland’s regions had grown at the same pace as Manchester over the past decade, the Scottish economy would be £30bn larger. He will cite welders from the Philippines and South Africa working on Scotland’s next-generation warships, saying too few Scottish workers have the necessary skills.
He is expected to urge the Scottish government to put control and funding in the hands of councils, colleges and industries, arguing they understand local economies better than officials in Edinburgh.
