UK Cabinet holds first meeting in Glasgow

Thursday 16 April 2009

The UK Prime Minister and the Cabinet have visited Glasgow today to hold the first ever UK Cabinet meeting in the city.

Shortly before the meeting, Gordon Brown and the Cabinet ministers took questions from members of the public at the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre.

The economy and next week’s Budget dominated the question and answer session. The Prime Minister said the Budget will include measures for driving forward the Low Carbon Strategy, and for creating and protecting jobs.

He said:

“It will be a budget for jobs. We want to help those people who are unemployed to get back to work as soon as possible.”

Many of the issues raised at the session were discussed in the Cabinet meeting, and Mr Brown promised that people who had asked questions would be written to at a later date.

He said:

“We will reply to you with a summing up of some of the points that have been made and the action being taken as a result. This [event] is not just a gesture - we want to learn from what you are saying.”

Mr Brown, who was born in Glasgow and started his career there, praised the city’s spirit and said the Cabinet visit demonstrated the city’s importance to the UK.

At the Cabinet meeting, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson outlined the Government’s approach to help businesses and the jobs market, Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband gave a presentation on ensuring a low-carbon recovery, and Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy discussed the prospects for the Scottish economy.

Earlier in the day, Mr Brown attended a breakfast meeting with business leaders, hosted by CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Scotland, at Clydesdale Bank, and toured Govan shipyards, where he met a number of apprentices.

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