Here you can see a round-up of my opinions and comments that I have recently made to the Press on some current and topical issues which might be of interest.

Monday 6th February 2023
Martyn Day MP welcomes business backing for £800k inclusivity and diversity drive

Martyn Day MP has welcomed businesses backing for a raft of government-funded initiatives to boost inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

Organisations across the social care, legal, financial and tourism sectors are among those joining forces with 13 employment support projects. They are aimed at helping previously excluded groups including older people and those with disabilities.

Hundreds of senior leaders and workers across a range of sectors have now received training to help colleagues and improve career opportunities for all. It follows a round of successful applications to the Scottish Government’s Workplace Equality Fund, driving forward Scotland’s Fair Work Framework.

Administered by Advice Direct Scotland, recipients received a total of more than £750,000 of grants to address long-standing barriers in the labour market.
 
The fund, which was first launched by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2018, is designed to ensure that everyone – irrespective of gender, age, race, or disability – can fulfil their potential and improve Scotland’s economic performance as a result. 

The Fair Work Framework sets out what fair work means in Scotland, offering all individuals an effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment, and respect.

It is funding projects that are focused on one or more priority groups such as women, minority ethnic workers, disabled workers and workers aged over 50.  

Other priority groups include people who experience gender-based violence, workers who are experiencing social isolation and/or loneliness, and workers experiencing symptoms of the menopause.
 
Latest project milestones include:

• More than 500 legal and financial workers trained in supporting neurodiverse people through a pioneering programme led-by charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre.
• Five partnerships with major businesses, including law firm Burness Paull and global investment manager Martin Currie to help those with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia or dyslexia.
• More than 20 firms within the tourism industry enrolling for Age Scotland’s training programme around age inclusion for people.
• The Scottish Refugee Council has delivered around 60 coaching sessions to social care providers to help refugees develop careers within the sector.

Elsewhere, PATH Scotland’s leadership programme for BAME employees of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is delivering a series of workshops. Other projects underway include Perth Autism Support’s scheme to help neurodiverse people secure and retain employment.

Last year, Advice Direct Scotland encouraged charities, third sector organisations, public sector organisations and private sector businesses to apply through its equalityadvice.scot service.  

A total of 55 applications were received, with 13 schemes now selected to receive funding.   
  
Martyn Day MP said:
“I am delighted so many businesses across Scotland are backing projects to help more people from marginalised groups into work.
 
“The Scottish Government’s Workplace Equality Fund, administered by Advice Direct Scotland, is improving career opportunities for all.”
 
Employment and Fair Work Minister Richard Lochhead said:
“It’s great to see the excellent progress being made by these wide-ranging, inspiring, innovative and diverse projects from across Scotland to support employers address the barriers facing those marginalised in the labour market.

“Our ambitious plans for Scotland’s economy are built on ensuring that everyone can thrive in a diverse and inclusive workplace. Inclusive growth within the workforce is a key element of meeting our ambition to be a Fair Work Nation by 2025.

“Since 2018, the Workplace Equality Fund has provided over £1.8 million worth of funding to 58 projects and the current multi-year fund aims to ensure sustainable and lasting impact of the valuable work that is being delivered.”
 
Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said:  
“We are proud to have worked with the Scottish Government to deliver this important fund.
 
“This initiative acts as a source of financial support for Scottish businesses and organisations that are striving to improve equality-related outcomes for priority groups in the workplace.  

“As an inclusive and progressive organisation with a diverse workforce, Advice Direct Scotland understands how valuable this is.

“The 13 successful projects are transforming lives by increasing diversity and inclusion in a variety of different sectors, all around Scotland.  

“The Workplace Equality Fund is supporting employers to address and resolving long-standing barriers facing under-represented groups within the labour market and helping to promote and embed principles of inclusivity and fairness within Scotland’s workplaces.” ​

Thursday 2 February 2023
SNP MP SUPPORTS TIME TO TALK DAY: “Talking About Mental Health Is So Important”

Martyn Day MP, SNP spokesperson on health and social care at Westminster, showing his support for Time to Talk Day today (2nd February), a national campaign dedicated to talking about our mental health.
​
Commenting Martyn said:

“We all have mental health and any of us could struggle with it, which is why talking about mental health is so important.

“By choosing to be open about mental health, we are all helping to contribute to changing the conversation around mental health and ensuring that everyone feels supported.

“Each conversation we have contributes to reducing mental health stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.”

Time to Talk Day is organised by See Me a programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination, funded by the Scottish Government and managed by SAMH and The Mental Health Foundation.

For more information visit https://www.seemescotland.org/seeus/campaigns/time-to-talk/time-to-talk-day-2023

​ Tuesday 31st January 2023 
MARTYN DAY MP COMMITS TO SHUTTING DOWN THE UK FUR TRADE 
Ricky Gervais and Pete Wicks lend their support to Fur Free Britain campaign as FOUR PAWS UK and Humane Society International/UK launch new report and investigation exposing cruelty of global fur trade

Dozens of MPs and Peers, including Martyn Day MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, celebrities and campaigners gathered in Parliament to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UK becoming the first country to ban fur farming, and to urge the UK Government to ‘finish the job’ by banning fur imports and sales. The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks attended the #FurFreeBritain event hosted by FOUR PAWS UK and Humane Society International/UK, and spoke about his past experience of visiting fur farms in Finland. In a new pre-recorded video message, comedian and actor Ricky Gervais also spoke in support of the campaign.

Two decades after the last fur farm was closed down, the UK continues to allow imports of fur from animals farmed and trapped overseas, creating an unacceptable double-standard. If fur is too cruel to produce here, it is too cruel to sell here, argue the campaigners. 

The parliamentary reception saw FOUR PAWS UK release a new report demonstrating the scale of abuse inherent in the trade and the role the UK continues to play in this cruelty. To illustrate the UK’s complicity in fur cruelty, HSI/UK released new footage of multiple fur farms in China, revealing the extreme suffering endured by raccoon dogs, mink and foxes for fur fashion. Government data shows that the UK imports millions of pounds worth of fur from China every year. The shocking scenes from HSI/UK’s investigation showed baby animals kept in filthy, barren conditions, with many of the older animals found to be exhibiting signs of mental distress such as pacing and circling their tiny cages. 

Martyn Day MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk said:

“20 years after the UK banned fur farming and demonstrated the UK’s strong and unequivocal ethical stand against fur, we are now outsourcing our cruelty overseas. The only way to eradicate this hypocrisy is to ban the import and sale of fur in the UK.”

TOWIE star Pete Wicks was at the event supporting the call for a #FurFreeBritain. Reflecting on his past experience of visiting Finnish fur farms with HSI/UK, Pete said:

“Nothing can prepare you for how truly awful the fur trade is for these poor animals. We saw dead animals lying in the cages, fox cubs’ tiny paws falling through the wire mesh floor, and even one mink with a head wound being eaten alive by his cage mates.

Looking into the eyes of these desperate animals, knowing that they were suffering simply to end up as a bobble on a hat, or a trim on a coat was so shocking. And to know that they could easily be killed for fur that ends up being sold in UK shops, was really upsetting. We simply can not call ourselves a nation of animal lovers for as long as this cruelty is still being imported here, and while it’s still legal for it to be sold in our shops.”

In a video message, Ricky Gervais said:

“The UK was the first country in the world to ban cruel fur farming, but 20 years later, the UK still has blood on its hands by importing fur from overseas. My message to the UK government is simple - end this double standard and BAN fur imports.”

There is strong public backing for a fur sales ban, with over 1.1 million signatures collected to date in support of a #FurFreeBritain. An April 2022 poll revealed 77% of British voters think the UK Government should ban the importation of animal products such as fur, where production methods are already banned in the country. The Government ran a consultation on the UK fur trade in May 2021 which amassed 30,000 responses, but has still not released the results. 

Sonul Badiani-Hamment, FOUR PAWS UK Country Director:

“Globally, the UK is lagging behind and propping up a dying industry. In 2021 Israel became the world’s first country to prohibit the sale of fur and 12 US towns and cities have also banned fur sales. And it’s not just governments taking action; from the runways to the high street, the fashion industry has been leading the way for decades, with retailers and consumers alike shunning the cruel and exploitative fur trade. As we mark two decades since fur farming was banned in the UK, it is high time we fully address the UK’s role in what is left of the fur trade and stop importing and exporting cruelty for good. Only by embracing a Fur Free Britain can we help save the lives of millions of animals who are needlessly killed for this abhorrent trade.” 

Claire Bass, Humane Society International/UK Senior Director of Campaigns and Public Affairs said: 

“Action on banning the UK’s trade in fur, and other hugely popular and promised animal welfare legislation, has been kicked into the long grass since last summer, and we urge Rishi Sunak and Therese Coffey to get back on track to deliver the Government’s much-applauded Action Plan for Animal Welfare. As politicians and the public start looking at what might be on the menu in manifestos for the next election, committing to ban the cruel and unnecessary fur trade is a wide open goal for all political parties, and we’re delighted with the strong cross-party support for the campaign. The future of fashion is fur free so the sooner we stop trading in cruelty the sooner the suffering overseas stops.”

The Parliamentary reception coincided with the launch of an official e-petition calling on the Government to ban the import and sale of fur from all species.  

Monday 30th January 2023
Martyn Day MP hears from persecuted Christians at World Watch List 2023 launch

Martyn Day, MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, was one of more than 90 MPs who attended the World Watch List 2023 launch in Parliament. At the event MPs and parliamentarians heard from persecuted Christians from North Korea, Africa and India.

Open Doors release their report World Watch List annually, a report ranking the top “50 countries where Christians suffer very high or extreme levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.”

This year, North Korea topped the list followed by Sub-Saharan Africa and China.

Commenting following the event, Martyn said:

“Freedom of religion, belief, and expression is of the fundamental importance in advancing human rights as a norm in societies around the world. Everybody should be able to practice their religious beliefs without fear of prosecution.
 
“The World Watch List 2023 highlights the worrying rise in Christians facing persecution overseas. The UK Government must use its influence to encourage all Government’s worldwide to meet their constitutional and international obligations to uphold freedom of religion and belief for all citizens.”

Thursday 26th January 2023 
Martyn Day MP signs Holocaust Educational Trust Book of Commitment 

This week Martyn Day MP signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27th January every year, the anniversary of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Across the UK – and world – people will come together to remember the horrors of the past.

In the lead up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘Ordinary People’.

On Holocaust Memorial Day we also remember and pay tribute to all of those persecuted by  the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents to the Nazis and others. We also remember all of those affected by genocide since, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

After signing the Book of Commitment, Martyn Day MP commented:

“Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for people from Linlithgow and East Falkirk to reflect on the darkest times of European history. Today, I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in Holocaust.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:

“On Holocaust Memorial Day we remember the 6 million men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, simply for being Jewish, and we pay tribute to the incredible survivors, many of whom still share their testimony day in and day out to ensure that future generations never forget the horrors of the past. We also remember that antisemitism did not start or end with the Holocaust, we must all be vigilant, and speak out whenever it is found.

Wednesday 25th January 2023 
SUNAK BRANDED "OUT OF TOUCH" OVER TORY BREXIT DENIAL 

Rishi Sunak has been branded "out of touch" over Brexit, with claims his government is in denial over the resulting failures of Britain's exit from the European Union. 

It follows the SNP’s Martyn Day MP challenging the Prime Minister to face up to the economic reality of Brexit at PMQs earlier today.
Citing figures from a new report from 'UK in a Changing Europe', the member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk urged the Prime Minister to finally agree with public opinion and the experts whose dire warnings spell a very grim future for Brexit Britain.

 Commenting, Martyn Day MP said:

 “Once again, Rishi Sunak demonstrates how out of touch he and his Tory colleagues are with the electorate. It is patently clear to everyone that Brexit has only succeeded in making the UK poorer, smaller and weaker on the world stage.

 “Yet despite this, both the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour party insist they’re going to make it work – it can’t and it won’t. Instead, every day, thousands of people across these islands are made poorer as a result.

“UK parties' denial will only make the problems facing ordinary people and crisis-hit businesses worse, but it seems to be the only route both the Tories and Labour are willing to take.

“Continued Westminster rule won’t repair the economic damage inflicted on Scotland against its will, nor will it set us on a path to economic prosperity and parity with our EU neighbours.

"Only a full return to the European Union through Scottish independence will deliver that.”

Wednesday 11th January 2023 
Martyn Day MP joins efforts to rescue 19th Century MP from “abyss of historical obscurity”

The MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, Martyn Day, has joined forces with one of his constituents and local historian, David William Main, to recognise one of his predecessors, Peter McLagan MP.

Mr McLagan was the MP for Linlithgowshire between 1865 and 1893 and, as Scotland’s first mixed-race MP, withstood negative campaigning to become Parliament’s longest serving Scottish Member until his resignation.

Martyn Day MP said:

“On first learning about Peter, what struck me was his progressive views, including advocating for more Scottish representation in Westminster!

“He was also an early champion for votes for women - earning him the moniker "suffragetist in trousers" - and the lowering of a property qualification, which barred most (men at that time) from voting or standing for election.

“Another issue Peter supported was primary and secondary education, believing that, regardless of distance or locale, all children should receive the same education and that a system of national secondary education be established.”

Mr Day met with Mr Main last year at the Steelyard in Bathgate – where Mr McLagan is featured in a presentation board. Mr Day has also tabled a related Early Day Motion in Westminster and has contacted the Speaker of the House of Commons to inquire about Mr McLagan being included in an exhibition “Pioneers: The First Asian and Black MPs” that is displayed en route to the Public Gallery.

Additionally, Mr Main and Mr Day have collaborated in securing an article about Mr McLagan in the upcoming Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2023. This distinguished publication is the national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture and is one of only some two thousand Scots to be so honoured.

Tuesday 17th January 2023 
SNP MP CONDEMNS UK GOVERNMENT’S “UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK ON SCOTTISH DEVOLUTION” 

SNP MP Martyn Day has condemned the UK Tory Government’s decision to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill as an “unpresented attack on Scottish devolution and democracy”.  

The Bill which seeks to improve and simplify the process by which a trans person can apply for legal recognition of their acquired gender was passed by 86 votes to 39 in December, receiving support from members of all political parties.

The Scotland Secretary Alister Jack has announced that the UK government would use Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to veto the Bill and stop it from receiving Royal Assent; the first time the procedure has been used during devolution’s 25-year history.

Section 35 can be used in two different situations, where the Scottish Secretary has “reasonable grounds to believe” that a Holyrood bill:

• would be incompatible with the UK’s international obligations or not in the interests of national defence

or

• would modify the law on reserved matters in such a way as to have an “adverse effect” on the operation of the law as it applies to reserved matters.

Reserved matters are policy areas – such as defence and foreign affairs – which are the responsibility of the UK Government and Parliament.
 
Commenting, Martyn Day said:

“The criteria for s35 have clearly not been met.

“This is a Tory political choice. Irrespective of your views of the Bill this represents an unprecedented attack on Scottish devolution and democracy and represents a dangerous slippery slope towards a totalitarian fascist state.

“The days of devolution are now numbered.”

Friday 13th January 2023
MP Reminds Constituents They Have Three Months to Redeem Energy Bills Support Scheme Vouchers

Martyn Day, MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, is reminding his constituents who have a traditional prepayment energy meter that they have three months from date of issue to redeem their Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers.

Households in Scotland who pay for their electricity by a prepayment meter should have received three vouchers by now (issued in October, November and December respectively). These should have been sent from your energy supplier by post, email or text message.

Martyn Day said: “If you have yet to receive your vouchers, or if you did but have since lost them or they have expired, contact your energy supplier who should be able to resend them.

“By default, vouchers issued under the scheme are valid for three months. While they can be reissued up to the scheme closing date on 30 June 2023, you'll need to contact your supplier to arrange this. So, for ease, I would recommend using your voucher as soon as you get it, so you don't forget and end up losing out.”

Those paying their energy suppliers directly by direct debit, on receipt of a bill or using smart prepayment meters don't have to do anything to get their support payments – the money is either taken off their monthly payment, sent directly to their bank account or applied as credit to their bill or meter.

Friday 13th January 2023
SNP MP ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH THIS ‘BLUE MONDAY’

As we approach the third Monday of January, a date traditionally thought of as the most difficult day of the year, the SNP Spokesperson for Health Martyn Day MP is encouraging people to talk about their mental health.

‘Blue Monday’ – unofficially the gloomiest day of the year – got its name because of the triple whammy of cold and dark nights, post-Christmas blues plus unpaid credit card bills arriving.

Commenting Martyn said: “The stresses of life in 2023, for example the ongoing cost of living crisis, have this year combined with the usual poor weather we get through January. A real concern across January is mental health, which can be made worse by the combination of factors.

“However, anyone can feel low at any point in the day, week or year and I want everyone to know that they are never alone.

“It’s important to take care of our own mental health, and to reach out and speak to someone about how we are feeling or contact the many services and organisations that can offer support with mental health.”