SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan has called for an urgent review of what he termed the UK Government's “anti-business policies”, including the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions, which he said should be “scrapped as soon as possible”. Doogan, who took over after Stephen Flynn became an MSP, pledged to be an “unashamedly pro-business voice in the UK Parliament”.
Doogan argued that Labour’s policies are “hammering businesses and destroying thousands of Scottish jobs”, citing the national insurance hike and a “punitive tax regime” in the North Sea. He said: “They must be urgently reviewed – and scrapped as soon as possible.” The SNP MP claimed that under Labour, the UK’s unemployment rate has risen to 4.9%, a five-year high, compared with 4.2% when the party came to power in 2024.
He also pointed to a collapse in job vacancies, a soaring cost of living, and downgraded economic growth, describing the situation as a “direct consequence of the Labour government’s damaging policies”. Doogan warned that 300,000 more people are unemployed since Labour took office, with credible warnings that another quarter of a million could lose their jobs in the next year.
Scottish Labour finance spokesperson Michael Marra accused the SNP of having a “brass neck”, highlighting the Scottish Government’s own poor record on business support, including a hike in business rates and a botched deposit return scheme. Business Secretary Peter Kyle defended the UK Government’s record, noting 332,000 more people in work than a year ago and a £4.3 billion support package for businesses.
