Britain’s cabinet office will set up a “second flagship HQ” in Glasgow as the government plans to move some of its operations to Scotland, ministers announced on Monday, at a time when support for Scottish independence is running high.
Ties between Scotland and the rest of Britain have been badly strained by a much-criticized COVID-19 pandemic response and Brexit, which a majority in Scotland opposed.
That has worsened for many Scottish the sense that policies designed in London don’t represent their views and make their day-to-day lives harder.
The cabinet office, which oversees the running of the government machine, said it was creating a new headquarters in Glasgow, while the foreign office planned to create 500 new jobs at an existing office in East Kilbride.
“Not only will this bring new jobs and investment to Scotland, but it will also strengthen the diversity of the UK civil service, ending the Westminster knows the best approach to policymaking and ensuring Scottish voices shape everything we do,” Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said in a statement.
In total 1,000 more jobs would be located in Scotland over the next four years. The exact functions to be shifted to Scotland were not set out.
