Politics Today: An Interview with Richard Lochhead

Sturgeon’s resignation, the ferry fiasco, the heated leadership race: it is safe to say that the life of a politician is never void of something to keep them busy. We decided to delve deeper into the current state of Scottish politics by interviewing our local Member of Scottish Parliament, Richard Lochhead. 

As the Minister for Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Richard Lochhead plays a large role in keeping the people of Scotland in work. He spoke on how Scotland was able to maintain a record low unemployment rate which was helped by success in sectors like renewable energy.

“We’ve created up to 100,000 green jobs as part of the net zero journey.” Lochhead went on to say how Scotland’s approach moving toward an environmentally friendly energy approach has proved to work well in employing Scots. Scotland's economy has managed to perform well despite the worldwide problems which have made financial life very difficult elsewhere. “The economy is performing reasonably well against a volatile backdrop” he continued by saying that the government managing to enter and retain jobs has proved successful, especially in the current financial state. 

Lochhead has been in parliament since 1999, representing the Moray constituency since 2006. Throughout that time he has been involved in many bills that have passed through Holyrood. Asking him what his favourite policy that he’s worked on was, he swiftly replied with his work in the efforts of Scotland gaining independence. 

“When we had the referendum for independence in 2014, I was in the cabinet at that time and we had a policy to have a referendum. We set a date, and had it, then it became a global story. That was my proudest moment – to give Scotland the opportunity to go for independence – though the result was not what we wanted but it was quite close. Next time we’ll win it.”

In the media, it is constantly said that there are larger issues that should be a top priority instead of independence. A point that Lochhead heavily emphasised was that independence is not a separate issue from other current problems like NHS workers being underpaid, and the cost of living crisis. Lochhead said that these are all interconnected problems and that independence can help with these issues. 

“Employment law is reserved to the UK Government. So when people say to us that we should be talking about low pay in Scotland instead of independence, I say talking about independence is talking about low pay. When you get powers over employment law and economic law, you’re addressing low pay.” 

The Supreme Court struck down a draft Independence bill only five months ago. It made many people, including the media, heavily question if there was no hope for a future independence referendum. Lochhead was adamant on the fact that independence wouldn’t come from a legal route, it would come from the people who wanted it.

Despite the recent news of the SNP’s membership plummeting by more than 30,000 members since December 2021, Lochhead says the party remains strong. He emphasised that the SNP is still Scotland’s largest party by a large margin. He also mentioned that after the 2014 Independence Referendum, the SNP membership rocketed from 25,000 to 100,000.

“We’re still miles ahead of every political party in Scotland, even with the drop of 30,000. I think there are a variety of reasons why we have lost members. Scottish politics is quite polarised and I think there have been issues within the SNP that have been quite polarising. 

There are people who are impatient that independence hasn’t happened yet, as well as controversial issues in parliament like self identification and the gender recognition bill.”

He spoke about the difficulties of women within politics, a topic which Nicola Sturgeon spoke about frequently during her time as first minister as well as during her resignation. The abuse online women receive, as well as the threats and the absent feeling of safety causes many girls and women to not want to get involved in the world of politics. Lochhead says there have been things implemented to make women feel more safe and included within politics, including Sturgeon’s support for the 50:50 parliament.

“I can imagine it may have put some people off, looking at what she has been through as well as other public figures. But there are two sides of that coin as I also think she is a great role model and I think she’s given a lot of women the confidence that you can get to the top and she’s very popular for doing that.”

As we watch the leadership debate unfold over televised debates and news broadcasts, we can only speculate who will succeed Nicola Sturgeon as first minister. Kate Forbes, Ash Regan, and Humza Yousaf are all currently vying for the top job within Holyrood. 

“I think Humza Yousaf’s my favourite at the moment. I think he’s managed to get the balance between supporting Scotland's economy, and keeping up with the progressive legacy that Nicola Sturgeon's created with equal rights. But I’m not publicly endorsing any candidates at the minute.”

Due to Kate Forbes’ recent comments about how she wouldn’t have voted in support of gay marriage if she was in parliament at the time, we were keen to ask Richard Lochhead about his opinion on this.

He stated “it’s important that all candidates not only protect LGBT rights but also promote it and enhance it.” Showing care for the issue, he wanted to see candidates provide further rights which have not yet been made available for these people, possibly referring to gender recognition, a recent controversial topic within Scottish parliament. Furthermore, he wished to see the candidates act in line with the opinions of the Scottish population, and said, “they should all reflect the views of the people of Scotland as well as party policy.”  

After being asked if he had considered standing as a candidate in the leadership election, he said that he hadn’t. Though, after viewing the televised broadcasts, he has now thought about the subject further. 

“It’s such a huge commitment and it takes over your life completely. You’ve got to be on duty 24 hours a day and seven days a week. I didn’t feel that it was right for me, but now that I’m watching the leadership debates I do sometimes think maybe I could do that.”

In the media, a large question that has been asked is if the Scottish Nationalist Party has been moving to the right of the political spectrum. Various figures like Keir Starmer have backed this idea, saying that especially in spite of the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, that there is a real possibility the party is lurching to the right. Lochhead denies these claims, and says that the SNP will continue to be considered as a left of centre party. 

“I think that’s total nonsense. I’m a social democrat and I think the SNP’s a social democratic party.”

This has shown he thoroughly believes that the SNP will retain its progressive agenda and that attacks from the Labour party aren’t credible criticisms. He went on to mention how some people, even within the SNP, view prioritising the economy as a right-wing position. He dismissed this viewpoint stating “it's not a left or right issue” due to the economy being important no matter what side of the political spectrum you lie.  

According to him, the most important quality to have in a politician is to listen. He feels that as a politician, you meet so many different people and learn from them. By listening instead of continuously talking, politicians can take the knowledge learnt and influence it into legislation and their stances within parliament. By building a closer relationship with their constituents, they are making a better change for the area. 

To conclude the interview, we asked him about the advice he would give to young people who are interested in getting involved in politics. He emphasised that politics isn’t limited to parties, it can also include other organisations and movements. 

“Especially since 2014, a lot more young people in Scotland have been involved in politics especially because of climate change and the moral global issues. A lot of young people are now more engaged. Just take an interest, learn more about the world. Go along to meetings about subjects you’re interested in and read about them online. Look at a variety of different views and be engaged.

It’s your future, your family’s future, and your country’s future. There’s a lot happening in the world right now including big challenges, though there are also big opportunities out there too.”

Lochhead ended on a rather inspiring note, assuring the youth that despite the hurdles they may face in the future, there will be challenges for themselves to get involved within politics. Despite the unruly political climate of today, whether it be in Holyrood or Westminster, it can be said that it is up to the youth of today to dictate what the future of politics will hold.