Nicola Sturgeon must recognise there has been a significant deterioration in the relationship between the Scottish Government and the business community since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and address this, the chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said this week.

Stuart Patrick said: “I think the Scottish Government has a challenge in that a lot of the business community are concerned the Scottish Government doesn’t trust the business community. That attitude is reaching a level of being reciprocated.”

Noting he spent a lot of time speaking to business leaders, Mr Patrick added: “There is a raw anger at times with the way business perspectives are dismissed in the debate in Scotland.”

The Herald: Glasgow chamber chief Stuart Patrick.Glasgow chamber chief Stuart Patrick. (Image: Jamie Simpson)

Return to health crisis of past decades would be ‘horrendous’ for city

The idea of Glasgow returning to a public health crisis like the one caused by the economic troubles of the 1980s and 1990s is “horrendous”, Mr Patrick also warned this week.

He claims there is an implication, from what he sees as a central Scottish Government message that an economy can be recovered but lives cannot, that businesses do not care about the current public health crisis.

READ MORE: In an interview with The Herald, Mr Patrick said: “I get the argument up in Scotland of, ‘We can always recover an economy. You can’t recover lives.’. I find that a particularly irritating stance from the Scottish Government because it implies businesses don’t care about the public health crisis.”

Opinion

Ian McConnell: We are now all bedevilled by bitter fruits of Tory division

Stuart Patrick: Glasgow will show its resilience again

Liz Cameron: Businesses need cash quickly to endure bleak midwinter​

Guy Stenhouse: Hope alone is not enough, as coronavirus and Brexit weigh

Features

Monday Interview: San Francisco hotel giant vows to invest in Scotland

SME Focus: Glasgow technology firm feels the benefit of boom in online retailing

The Herald: The visitor centre includes a rooftop barThe visitor centre includes a rooftop bar

And finally ... first look: Johnnie Walker Princes Street interiors unveiled by Diageo

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