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Toi Staff
Tarik Cyril Amar
Jeffrey Bernstein Ph.d
Gideon Levy
Sharona Margolin Halickman
Maryam Aldossari
Tafi Mhaka
Sabine Kinkartz
Andrew Mitrovica
Jennifer Gerlach Lcsw
Leonid Ragozin
Why do so many people not trust politicians to safeguard the economy? MPs prioritise new infrastructure projects and trade with the EU, with 64% and 46% of MPs respectively saying these would make the biggest improvement to Britain’s economic growth over the next five years. In contrast, the public prioritise improvements to Britain’s economic growth that would most directly affect them: better public services (36%), supporting job creation and job opportunities (31%), and improving wages and workers’ rights (30%).
Since the new UK Government came to power in July there has been wall-to-wall messaging from Labour politicians about economic growth. Sir Keir Starmer has described economic growth as the “defining mission” of this UK Government, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed last week that Labour will go “further and faster” than previous governments to deliver growth. Economic growth and jobs are also a key focus for the Scottish Government, with First Minister John Swinney’s 2025/26 Scottish Budget including boosts to the NHS, housing investment and capital projects intended to stimulate growth.
Politicians’ focus on economic growth is certainly in tune with what the Scottish public feel is important. The economy was the top-ranked concern for Scots over the course of 2024: 34% of the public mentioned this when questioned by Ipsos about what they saw as the most important issues facing Britain, with inflation and prices mentioned by 24%. But Scots also remain concerned about the state of public services, with the NHS mentioned by 33% as an important issue facing Britain.
Politicians and the public are both more positive than negative about the value of economic growth. MPs are especially likely to see economic growth as positive: 82% of MPs surveyed by Ipsos between July and September 2024 see economic growth as doing more good than harm, compared with 55% of the British public........
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