Rennie responds to census results

Responding to the first results of the 2022 census, which show that while Scotland’s population is now at its highest ever recorded, the rate of growth was one of the slowest in the UK (2.7%) and without immigration the population would have decreased by about 49,800 since 2011, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:  

“Nationalist belligerence caused the SNP to make a complete pig’s ear of administering the census, so today’s results have been a long-time coming.  

"In their determination to go it alone, SNP ministerial decisions led to increased costs, additional work and fewer respondents. The census informs the delivery of public services for a decade so errors in its delivery will reverberate for years to come.  

“Now that we have the results, it’s clear to see the fundamental importance of immigration to both our population and our economy. Rather than using this to ramp up their arguments with Westminster, I want the Scottish Government to engage collaboratively with those in business, the care sector and in our universities to make the case for immigration.    

“To maintain both population and economic growth more broadly, Scottish Liberal Democrats will remove barriers for doing business and getting on in life. We will continue to highlight the need for thousands of green jobs though our plans for warmer homes and for communities to be guaranteed the core connections they need to avoid depopulation, such as ferries and broadband.”