Scottish Secretary reacts to GDP figures for October 2024
Ian Murray says while the stats are disappointing, long-term growth remains a priority, with UK Government's Plan for Change delivering vital reform
Scotland’s latest GDP figures have been published this morning here.
Onshore GDP is estimated to have contracted by 0.2% in October. This follows unrevised 0.3% growth in September. In the three months to October GDP is estimated to have remained flat with 0% change. This is a decrease compared to the Quarter 3 - July to September - growth rate of 0.3%.
Reacting to the figures, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:
While this month’s figures are disappointing, we inherited unprecedented challenges and this will take time to repair. Our Plan for Change is putting more money in people’s pockets as we strive to raise living standards for everyone across the UK.
Long-term growth remains our top priority and investment is key to that. We’re ploughing £1.4 billion into local growth projects over the next ten years in Scotland as well as backing Aberdeen-based Great British Energy with £8.3 billion.
To ensure families feel the benefits of growth sooner, the JobCentre reform element of our Get Britain Working strategy will help secure valuable employment and reduce inactivity, while the biggest overhaul of workers’ rights in a generation is ending exploitative zero-hours contracts and rewarding hard work with a true living wage.