Latest GDP growth shows Scotland’s economy ‘recovering steadily’, says Forbes

Scotland’s system is “recovering steadily”, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said arsenic figures showed GDP roseate 0.3% successful July.

The latest monthly information shows the system grew successful July aft experiencing nary maturation successful June.

The Scottish Government figures amusement that wide successful the 3 months to July, GDP was estimated to beryllium up 0.3% connected the erstwhile 3 months.

However this was down from the 0.6% maturation recorded implicit the play April to June.

Ms Forbes, who is besides the Economy Secretary, said: “These figures amusement that Scotland’s system is recovering steadily, having grown implicit the past 2 quarters.”

She said it was “particularly encouraging” that manufacturing and accusation and communications services had accrued their output successful July, arsenic she vowed the Government is “stepping up enactment to thrust economical growth”.

She added: “Our Programme for Government and Green Industrial Strategy acceptable retired measures to enactment start-ups, trim barriers to concern and enactment successful concern with businesses.”

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said though July’s GDP maturation is encouraging, pugnacious short-term decisions could inactive beryllium needed to assistance the state successful the long-term.

“Economic maturation is 1 of the cardinal missions of the UK Government and Scotland is astatine the bosom of that, arsenic the Prime Minister underlined erstwhile helium confirmed that GB Energy volition beryllium headquartered successful Aberdeen,” helium said.

“Backed by £8.3 cardinal of UK Government investment, it volition bring jobs and accidental for each parts of the UK.”

Stressing the “dire fiscal situation” Labour inherited from the erstwhile Conservative UK government, Mr Murray said this “requires pugnacious decisions that are hard successful the short-term, but the close happening for the state successful the long-term”.

He added: “Right now, we are making enactment pay, ensuring the nationalist minimum wage is simply a existent surviving wage, and we’re ending exploitative zero-hours contracts truthful workers person accrued occupation security.

“At adjacent month’s International Investment Summit, we volition forge stronger links with our planetary concern partners, each to execute the maturation that’s captious for economical stability.”