Macpherson highlights ‘breakdown’ in communication with Westminster

EDINBURGH: Scotland’s immigration minister has said he has not had talks with Westminster for more than a year – despite sending seven letters to politicians in the UK government.

Ben Macpherson said the last time he met with the UK government was on his birthday last year, July 23. He said he has had no engagement with UK ministers since then, and he branded that “deeply disappointing”. He said the “breakdown” in communication came about after Boris Johnson came to power.

He has written seven letters to UK government ministers since then, including one to Home Secretary Priti Patel, but said he is yet to receive a “positive response”. Macpherson told MSPs on Holyrood’s Europe and External Affairs Committee: “I have had some responses in writing, but no positive responses for a meeting, no phone calls, and I think it is astonishing and deeply disrespectful to the devolution process that an issue as important as immigration has not been engaged with by the UK government.”

He told the committee the Scottish government has a “range of concerns” about Westminster plans to introduce a points-based immigration system.

Macpherson said he wants to work “constructively and collaboratively” with UK counterparts on the shortage occupation list, which sets out jobs where workers are in short supply and for which migrants can come to the UK to fill.

But he told the committee: “Unfortunately the last time I met with a UK government minister was in July 2019. It was actually my birthday, that is why I remember it, July 23 2019.

“That was with Caroline Nokes, who to her credit despite policy differences had established a regular, fairly regular, engagement with myself and the other devolved administrations. However the breakdown in that since the Johnson government came to power has been unfortunate, to put it mildly, and very disappointing given the importance of these issues. “I have written now seven times to the various different ministers in post, Brandon Lewis twice, Seema Kennedy, Kevin Foster three times including recently in August 2020, and Priti Patel, asking for a meeting since July 2019 and have had no positive responses.”