FM condemns Westminster ‘damage’ to rural Scotland

Humza Yousaf has accused the UK Government of inflicting "significant damage" on rural Scotland.

The SNP leader is set to visit a lambing farm in Stornoway, in the Western Isles, to highlight calls for a rural visa pilot scheme to tackle the impacts of Brexit and depopulation. It is designed to allow some rural businesses to recruit foreign nationals easily to help with a shortage of workers.

Proposals were outlined by Scottish ministers in September 2022 and received backing from organisations including the National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland, but it was not rubberstamped by Westminster, which controls immigration policies.

Mr Yousaf, who will be joined by the SNP'S Na h-eileanan an Iar Westminster candidate Susan Thomson, said: Businesses and farms across Scotland's rural and island communities have shown enormous resilience in recent years and are invaluable to communities like the one I am visiting today.

"They are a hallmark of the skill, dedication and ingenuity that runs throughout scotland ."

Mr Yousaf went on to say the proposals would mitigate against labour shortages "which are a direct consequence of Brexit and hostile Tory immigration policies".

He said there has been "no meaningful engagement from Westminster", adding: "Instead, this Tory Government has continued to pursue a toxic combination of Brexit red tape, the ending of freedom of movement and hostile Tory immigration policies – despite the significant damage this is doing to our rural industries and communities.”

Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokeswoman Ra cha el hamilton described Mr Yousaf as "central-belt focused" and said the SNP has" abandoned" rural communities, claiming they have not upgraded the A9, A96 and A75 roads.