While Westminster trashes the United Kingdom with Brexit, the Scottish National Party Government is prioritising boosting economic growth. The latest Bank of Scotland business barometer report shows that business optimism in Scotland in May was up by 15 per cent, to 57 per cent, which is the joint highest in the UK. That is welcome. Will the Deputy First Minister say more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to make Scotland the best place in the UK in which to do business?

That is absolutely our aim and ambition. Scotland is open for business. We are committed to working right across the economy to maximise the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead, not least in the incredible renewable energy sector. We want to ensure that our economy remains one of the best performing in the UK—as it is right now—and we will do that by working in partnership with business, industry and trade unions.

Scotland’s gross domestic product per capita has grown faster than the UK’s since 2007, and a record number of foreign direct investment projects were secured in Scotland in 2022, maintaining our position as the top-performing area of the UK, outside of London, for the eighth year running.