A group of Scotland’s most experienced leaders in business, public service and politics are being brought together to form a new Advisory Council backing the business case for Scotland remaining in the UK.
Independent, pro-Union business group Scottish Business UK (SBUK) has created a formidable team of more than 20 business leaders drawn from across Scotland, with experience of business, politics and economics, representing sectors including manufacturing, financial services, energy, marketing, property, construction, ICT, publishing and company support.
Together they will form a new taskforce that will boost SBUK’s capacity to make a strong, positive contribution to the current public debate over the future of Scotland’s place in the Union and its economic recovery following the downturn caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
A full list of Advisory Council members can be seen at https://scottish-business.uk/about-us/.
SBUK Founder and Chairman Robert D. Kilgour said:
“We are bringing together a formidable pool of business talent to form SBUK’s new Advisory Council. Demand for places on it from across the political spectrum testifies to the depth of concern in the business community over the SNP’s non-stop push for another independence referendum.
“I look forward to working with the new team to shape our campaign clearly and forcefully in the year ahead, up to and beyond May’s Holyrood elections.”
New Advisory Council member and former UK Trade Minister and Energy Minister Rt. Hon Brian Wilson CBE commented:
“While the Scottish Government works tirelessly to emphasise the difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK, it is vital to remind ourselves of the inter-dependence that exists and its value, both social and economic, to Scotland.
“None of the arguments which prevailed in 2014 have gone away and it is important they are updated and communicated effectively. The field should not be left clear for those whose sole mission is to create division around a single political objective, regardless of consequences.”
Businesswoman and former MEP for Scotland Baroness Nosheena Mobarik CBE is also joining the Advisory Council. She added:
“There has never been a better time for an organisation like SBUK to be making a strong, rational, business case for keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom. The unprecedented support that Scottish companies and their employees have received from the UK Treasury during the coronavirus crisis shows the sheer strength and value to the economy that our place in the UK delivers.
“Now is the time for business leaders to speak up – in favour of long term security and prosperity within the UK and against the SNP’s plans to layer political upheaval on top of economic crisis in a way that would kick any hope for the recovery of Scotland’s economy far into the long grass.”
Gwyneth Fleming, founder and owner of contract cleaning and services provider G.S. Associates Ltd, which employs 4,000 people around the UK and Republic of Ireland, explained why she is joining the council:
“I feel more strongly than ever that Scotland should remain in the UK. What our businesses need more than anything else in the current economic climate is the injection of certainty, not more constitutional experimentation.
“As our economy grapples with challenges including Brexit, the coronavirus and steep recession, all business leaders should be focussed on helping our country get through this unprecedented time, keeping staff safely in employment and looking to create new jobs where possible.”
New Advisory Council appointee, the Lord Provost of the City of Aberdeen and President of the World Energy Cities Partnership, Cllr Barney Crockett said:
“Aberdeen is a major centre for business in Scotland. It is intimately linked to the UK and through the UK to the wider world. It is critically important to the city’s future that it remains as part of an integrated UK economy.
“I hope that my voice, experience and energy can help to ensure that remains the case”.
SBUK Chief Executive Struan Stevenson urged other business leaders to get involved with the campaign:
“Collectively, our new council has experience running companies generating tens of millions of pounds in turnover and employing thousands of people across the UK. They know what it takes to achieve business success and have a shared understanding that independence would be a huge risk to the economy in which they operate.
“I’d urge any other business leader wanting to know how to get involved to contact us and join the campaign.”
Note to Editors
Scottish Business UK is an apolitical organisation seeking to give Scottish businesses a voice in opposition to a second referendum on Independence in Scotland.
Like-minded individuals and organisations who wish to remain as part of the United Kingdom, can sign up at www.Scottish-business.uk, a website designed to give business people across all sectors and geographies within Scotland, the opportunity to register their support for Scotland in opposition to a second referendum on independence.
SBUK is a registered company known as ‘SB Supports the Union Ltd’.
https://www.scottish-business.uk/
Sunday 23 August 2020