The Scottish National Party (SNP) has indicated the type of influence it might bring to bear on a future Westminster government with the launch of its business manifesto.
First minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, called for a range of infrastructure investments, including big ticket items such as extending HS2 beyond Newcastle to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Ms Sturgeon also called for the early devolution of air passenger duty after the draft Scotland Bill - released in January in the wake of the independence vote - committed Westminster to handing over the tax power but did not give a specific date
‘A strong team of SNP MPs will make the case at Westminster for more support for our businesses. Pushing for measures such as the early devolution of air passenger duty, an increase in infrastructure investment, a universal service obligation for broadband and the inclusion of Scotland in Westminster’s HS2 plans will improve connectivity and remove barriers for businesses in remote and rural parts of the country,’ Ms Sturgeon said.
‘The SNP wants to create a stable and balanced economy that is outward looking, confident, innovative, based on the core strengths of our people and supported by investment – and SNP MPs at Westminster will do everything in their power to support our businesses every step of the way,' she added.
The SNP stated it would use the devolution of air passenger duty ‘to encourage more direct flights to Scotland, with a reduction of 50% and longer term plans to abolish air passenger duty altogether’.
The tax is unpopular in Scotland however a report by the transport select committee released in March cautioned that if Scotland scrapped APD, smaller northern airports could face similar difficulties as a result of the competition.
A recent poll put the SNP on 52% with Labour on 24% support - equating to the nationalists winning around 56 out of the 59 Scottish seats in the Commons, giving them potentially significant influence.
