THE UK Government’s plans to level up the country have been branded a ‘rehash’ or former policies and an attempt at a power grab on devolved nations.

A 330-page report was released this afternoon detailing how the government plans to improve transport, job opportunities, education and health outcomes across all parts of the country.

Announcing the measures in the Commons, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told MPs of 12 tangible measures the conservatives were laying down to ensure their plans would be successful.

However Labour and the SNP said they did not go far enough, did not have enough investment and were simply copying previous policies with some dating back to 2008 when Gordon Brown was Prime Minister.

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In Scotland, the UK Government has vowed to create a Silicon Valley-style centre of expertise in Glasgow, combining the research powers of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities with opportunities for new highly-skilled jobs in the public and private sectors in the city and surrounding areas.

It has also announced the creation of a new ‘Islands Forum’ which aims to look at problems facing island communities all across the country, and develop plans on how to improve them.

This could include ways to connect islands better to their mainland neighbours, improve internet connections or health services.

Announcing the measures today Mr Gove told MPs: “ The White Paper we are publishing today sets out a detailed strategy to make opportunity more equal and to shift wealth and power decisively towards working people and their families.

“After two long Covid years, we need to get this country moving at top speed again.

“We need faster growth, quicker public services and higher wages and we need to allow overlooked and undervalued communities to take back control of their destiny.

“Because we know that while talent is spread equally across the United Kingdom, opportunity is not.”

Many of the plans for Scotland included in the white paper have previously been announced, such as funding for eight projects through the UK Government’s levelling up funds, city deal schemes and plans to introduce freeports.

Other schemes, such as the coronavirus job retention scheme, and kickstart jobs scheme, introduced as a result of the pandemic, have also been included in the white paper despite Levelling Up being on the Tory agenda long before the pandemic happened.

The Cop26 Climate conference has also been included as an example of levelling up in the white paper, with the document stating “Glasgow, Scotland, and the whole of the UK, will benefit economically from having hosted the summit, including future growth in international tourism.”

The 12 ‘missions’ announced by Mr Gove in the Commons today are mainly devolved areas of policy for Scotland, such as health and education, which will require input from and approval of the Scottish Government to fulfil the UK Government’s ambitions.

This could be unlikely, however, with Nicola Sturgeon today branding the plans a “power grab” and a “desperate attempt” by Boris Johnson to try and save his own career.

Ms Sturgeon said: “It’s re-hashed money, it’s re-hashed announcements and it’s a pretty desperate attempt by a beleaguered Westminster Government and an utterly discredited Prime Minister to try and divert people’s attention and I think it might take more than that to succeed.”

Despite Mr Gove telling MPs in the Commons that he had spoken with Ms Sturgeon last night about the measures, the First Minister said she was merely told about the plans and had not been invited to any discussions on them.

She explained: “I don’t know what he means.

“I spoke to Michael Gove on the phone last night, he didn’t ask me to be involved in anything – he told me what he would be announcing today.

“I made the point that as First Minister of Scotland I shouldn’t be getting told about it less than 24 hours before he announced it.”

She added: “I always welcome extra money for Scotland, but these are issues that are – in the main – the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament and Westminster is, I know, trying to muscle in, to spend money, make decisions over the heads of not just the Scottish Parliament, but the Welsh Parliament, the Northern Irish Parliament as well.

“If the UK Government is genuine about wanting to work together, and I’m very happy to do so, the essential starting point for them is to actually respect the responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament rather than ride roughshod over them – that’s a much better foundation for working together.”

A UK Government source responded to Ms Sturgeon’s claims, telling The Herald theyw ere “deeply disappointing”.

The source said: “This is a deeply disappointing response from the Scottish Government to ambitious plans which will transform Scottish lives and communities. 

"Rather than dismissing concrete action to tackle the scourge of inequality, Scottish ministers should focus on working together for the good of the people of Scotland.

"The UK Government is determined to work across all levels of government to create jobs and level up across the country."

Labour’s Lisa Nandy said the plans were underwhelming.

She told MPs: “Seriously, is this it?

“The sum total of our ambition for our coastal and industrial towns, our villages and our great cities, is a history on the rise of the Roman Empire and ministers scurrying around Whitehall shuffling the deckchairs, cobbling together a shopping list of recycled policies and fiddling the figures, is this really it?”

The MP described the announcement as “smoke and mirrors”, and was heckled as she said: “They have given more to fraudsters than they’ve given to the north of England.”

Alistair Carmichael, the LibDem MP for Orkney and Shetland, welcomed the Islands Forum announcement, but urged Mr Gove to ensure it was not simply a “talking shop”.

Referring to the first meeting of the forum, which Mr Gove will chair, the MP said: “Item number one on the agenda for that meeting has got to be islands’ future transport links. “Communities in Shetland are desperate to see the construction of tunnels and fixed links.

“He could be the person to bring the Scottish Government and Treasury together and deliver it.

“Is he up for that challenge?”

Mr Gove responded that he was, and that he was positive that islands all round the UK could learn from one another.