Holyrood and Westminster should work together to promote Scotland – minister

Ministers from both Holyrood and Westminster should work together to promote Scotland at “every opportunity”, Scotland Office minister John Lamont has said.

The Conservative MP is part of a UK Government delegation visiting New York for the annual Tartan Week celebrations – with UK politicians taking part after being absent for several years.

Angus Robertson, the Scottish Government Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, is also in the American city for the annual event, which is marking its 25th anniversary this year.

Mr Lamont said after becoming a Scotland Office minister in October last year he had been “keen to expand Scotland’s relationship with many global trade partners”.

Speaking to PA Scotland from New York, he said: “I was very keen when I became a minister back in October, when the Prime Minister asked me to take on this job, to understand how we can develop Scotland’s ties around the world.

“I think there is an important relationship with New York and the United States which we need to do more to develop and expand upon, particularly now that we are outside the European Union.”

He told how the UK Government was “working very hard” to secure a trade deal with the US, adding that “consolidating the strong ties we have between Scotland and the US will help develop and expand that trading relationship that we already have”.

He also stressed: “It is really important both the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government work together to promote the interests of Scotland, that’s what’s happening here this week, there’s UK Government events, there’s Scottish Government events.

“That is what we should be doing, Scotland has two governments, both with the best interests of Scotland at heart.”

The minister continued: “I think it is important both Governments work together to promote Scotland at every opportunity.”

Mr Lamont said his visit would also see him speak to business organisations and others “who already have strong and established ties with Scotland, understanding how those relationships have developed over the years and thinking about how we might be able to expand and develop those economic ties moving forward”.

A delegation from the Scottish Parliament is also in New York for Tartan Week, with this the first time Holyrood has been involved since 2019.

The group, led by the presiding officer, Alison Johnstone; also includes Finlay Carson, the convener of Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee; and Collette Stevenson, who is a member of both the Criminal Justice Committee and the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

They, along with Mr Lamont and others, will march in the Tartan Day Parade on Saturday – the highlight of the celebrations, which will this year be led by broadcaster Gail Porter.

After that, members of the Holyrood delegation will go on to visit the Canadian parliament in Ottawa and the national assembly of Quebec.

Ms Johnstone said: “As Tartan Week celebrates its 25th anniversary, we’re very much looking forward to the Parliament’s first visit since 2019.

“Our engagements in North America provide an opportunity to enhance the long-established cultural and historical ties between the people of Scotland and those of the US and Canada.

“Meeting with counterparts in New York, the Canadian parliament and Quebec gives us an opportunity to learn from each other, share experiences and discuss the common challenges our legislatures face. This learning is essential to help the Scottish Parliament continue to develop how it operates.

“Tartan Week provides an opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to join Scots from across the world in celebrating our shared heritage.”