Foreign Office to move 500 jobs to East Kilbride

Foreign Office jobs will be relocated to the department's base in East Kilbride

More than 1,000 civil service jobs will be relocated to Scotland in the coming years, the UK government has said.

As well as 500 previously-announced Cabinet Office roles in Glasgow, 500 Foreign Office jobs will move to the department's existing base in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.

The additional roles will bring the Foreign Office's staff in East Kilbride to 1,500 by 2025.

It comes amid efforts by UK ministers to bolster support for the union.

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The announcement comes as the Scottish Conservatives hold their virtual spring conference.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the relocated jobs will ensure the civil service "represents all parts of the UK".

Mr Raab said: "There can be no clearer demonstration of commitment to our joint HQ in East Kilbride than today's announcement.

"Staff at Abercrombie House are at the forefront of delivering the UK's diplomatic clout, as we prepare to host the G7 and COP26, while supporting the delivery of our £10bn aid budget to continue helping the world's poorest people."

The East Kilbride building was previously home to the Department for International Development before it was merged into the Foreign Office.

'Scottish voices'

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the move will "co-locate the engine room of the UK government in Scotland".

Mr Gove said it would ensure "closer collaboration between Scotland's two governments as we tackle the Covid-19 pandemic together and work to build a sustainable recovery".

He said he hoped it would also bring an end to the "Westminster knows best approach to policymaking" and "ensure Scottish voices shape everything we do".

However, SNP MSP George Adam said the UK government is only relocating jobs, because they fear an SNP victory at the Holyrood election in May.

He said: "The Tories know that if people vote SNP in May then a fresh referendum is coming - they wouldn't be spending so much time relocating Whitehall staff to Scotland if they didn't.

"In a period of Westminster austerity, the UK government chose to disproportionately slash jobs north of the border - today's announcement is a drop in the ocean against the backdrop of these widescale cuts."

GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said the jobs and investment are welcome, but "won't resolve the many deep rooted problems that exist".

He added: "It makes sense for the civil service to be spread out. You can't level up a country if its jobs and wealth are concentrated in a few areas, and Glasgow and the west certainly needs levelling up."