Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra urges deeper devolution and local control of skills policy

Michael Marra, newly elected leader of Scottish Labour, used his opening address at the party conference to demand a new wave of devolution agreements that would give councils, colleges and industry greater control over money and decision-making. He claimed that if Scotland’s regions had grown like Manchester, the economy would be £30 billion larger, blaming centralisation for the shortfall. Marra criticised the SNP’s proposed reorganisation of local government as another step toward central control, not devolution.

He warned of a “skills shortage crisis,” with half of employers reporting gaps and apprenticeship funding declining, even pointing to foreign welders working on Scottish warships. He called on the Scottish Government at Bute House to transfer authority to those who know local economies best. Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education Alyn Smith responded that the government is revising its skills-planning model to be more regionally flexible and is open to constructive engagement with Labour.