Latest news with #Duncan-Glancy
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Senior member of Anas Sarwar's shadow cabinet 'opposed' to Labour welfare cuts bill
EXCLUSIVE: A senior party figure said Duncan-Glancy is angry about the cuts being proposed. A member of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar 's shadow cabinet is opposed to Keir Starmer's welfare cuts for disabled people. A senior party figure said Pam Duncan-Glancy is against a Labour Government bill campaigners warn will cost the vulnerable hundreds of pounds a year. The insider said the education spokeswoman, a permanent wheelchair user, is angry about the plans. They said: 'Pam has brought her lived experience to bear in leading the internal campaign against disability cuts. She has consistently made the strongest case against the cuts and has the ear of senior government figures.' The Prime Ministe r is under mounting pressure over a welfare bill that would cut around £5bn from disability and sickness benefits. A number of the benefit changes are UK-wide and the cuts are forecast to plunge 50,0000 children into poverty. But the bill could be dumped after over 100 Labour MPs, twelve from Scotland, backed an amendment that would torpedo the whole package. A party insider said Duncan-Glancy's opposition showed the Labour shadow cabinet at Holyrood is split over the plans. When approached, Scottish Labour released a statement in Duncan-Glancy's name. She said: 'Everybody agrees reform is needed to address the structural challenges in the system, but those reforms need to be fair. 'Labour's plans include positives, for example increasing the Universal Credit standard allowance, scrapping the Work Capability Assessment, introducing a 'right to try', and investing £1 billion in employability support.'Disabled people are raising their concerns and it's right that people work to ensure these reforms deliver on Labour's ambitions to fix a broken system and support disabled people.' Sarwar has so far walked a careful line between backing the principles of welfare reform while encouraging Starmer to listen to concerns. In a Holyrood Sources podcast, Sarwar said of the bill: 'I support the principle of reform.' 'We do have to look at the structural challenges that exist in our welfare system.' He also said there are ' many positives ' in the bill, such as £1bn for back to work schemes. Asked if he agreed with the rebels, Sarwar said: 'Conversations are ongoing, as you would expect. People are legitimately raising their concerns, having those conversations.' He added: 'We have to support the principle of reform. What those reforms look like have to be balanced and have to be fair.' His comments are milder than the criticisms of mayors Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham. Meanwhile, Starmer is in talks with Labour rebels over concessions to save the welfare reform package. Sir Keir told MPs there was 'consensus" across the House on the "urgent need for reform' of the 'broken' welfare system. 'I know colleagues across the House are eager to start fixing that, and so am I, and that all colleagues want to get this right, and so do I,' he said. 'We want to see reform implemented with Labour values of fairness. That conversation will continue in the coming days, so we can begin making change together on Tuesday.' SNP MSP George Adam said: "The UK Labour government is slashing vital support for disabled people and under Anas Sarwar's leadership, Scottish Labour is rowing in behind them. "So far, Anas Sarwar has faithfully backed his Westminster bosses - but a growing number of his own colleagues have finally seen the irreparable damage these cuts will do. "While Scottish Labour won't stand up for Scotland, the SNP has called for the cuts to be scrapped. "The people of Scotland deserve far better than continued Westminster austerity. Only with the full powers of independence can Scotland escape Westminster's austerity obsession." A key element of the welfare package is freezing the rate of the health element of Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance payments until 2030. In a briefing to parliamentarians, the Trussell charity estimated that there are nearly 300,000 people receiving these payments in Scotland: "All would stand to be affected by the freeze which by 2029/30 amounts to [a] real terms cut of £500 per year.' The Scottish Labour MP sceptics are Richard Baker, Scott Arthur, Euan Stainbank, Brian Leishman, Lilian Jones, Tracy Gilbert and Elaine Stewart. Kirsteen Sullivan, Patricia Ferguson, Martin Rhodes, Maureen Burke and Irene Campbell are also opposed.
The National
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish Labour ‘playing politics' ahead of education reforms vote
A bill from the Scottish Government which will scrap current exams body the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) as well as establish a chief inspector of education, to be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges, faces its final vote in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday evening. But Scottish Labour MSPs have threatened to vote against the Education (Scotland) Bill, claiming as it stands it fails to deliver 'genuine reform'. READ MORE: Scotland leading the way in reducing child poverty, new report finds With a new body, Qualifications Scotland, proposed to take the place of the SQA, Labour education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy has branded the plans a 'superficial rebrand'. Her bid for the bill to establish Curriculum Scotland, a new body to take charge of setting what pupils should learn, was voted down by MSPs. In a late night sitting on Tuesday, MSPs rejected the proposal, despite Duncan-Glancy insisting it would not increase costs for the Scottish Government. Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth had argued curriculum improvements are already under way, with this work being led by Education Scotland. Jenny Gilruth Gilruth insisted: 'I do not believe there are sufficient advantages to establishing a new standalone curriculum body in legislation and the expense that will incur, when we already have a national education agency being refocused on curriculum improvement and supporting implementation across the system.' With the bill due before MSPs for a final vote on Wednesday evening, SNP MSP George Adam insisted the legislation 'presents an opportunity to bring about real change which will strengthen Scotland's education landscape'. READ MORE: Scottish Government accused of 'shutting door' on rewilding and beaver restoration He added: 'It comes as no surprise, but it is nevertheless disappointing, that Labour has decided to play politics rather than prioritise Scotland's schoolchildren.' Adding the bill had been 'shaped' with input from pupils, parents and teachers, he continued: 'Despite putting forward a series of amendments to the bill, Labour has now shown that it would rather score a cheap political goal than vote for the changes it has been calling for. 'The SNP Scottish Government is proud of this bill and is committed to implementing the system and culture change required to improve outcomes and support professionals in classrooms and education settings all over Scotland.'
The Herald Scotland
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
MSPs vote down curriculum body proposals
The body would also be given oversight of the development of teachers and staff, as well as being tasked with accrediting qualifications. Ms Duncan-Glancy told MSPs the creation of the body would not increase costs on the Government, with funding, staffing and office space taken from Education Scotland. Control over the curriculum, accreditation and improvement in education is 'spread over too many bodies' which 'do not always speak to each other'. 'The amendments in this group propose a remedy to this – Curriculum Scotland,' she said. 'A single, arms-length organisation that will steer what is taught, guarantee the standards of certificates that flow from that teaching and the continuous improvement of both.' Responding to the Labour MSP, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: 'My decision to refocus Education Scotland, which I announced to Parliament in June of last year, was a fundamental step in realising the shared ambition in relation to education reform. 'The curriculum improvement cycle, as members will know, is also already under way, with Education Scotland leading that work with the teaching profession. 'When considering these amendments, I am thoughtful about the principle of legislating only when necessary and I ask members to keep that at the forefront of their minds for voting on these amendments.' She added: 'While I appreciate the intention behind these amendments, I cannot support them. 'I do not believe there are sufficient advantages to establishing a new standalone curriculum body in legislation and the expense that will incur, when we already have a national education agency being refocused on curriculum improvement and supporting implementation across the system.' The amendment was defeated by 94 votes to 22. Asked by Scottish Tory MSP Miles Briggs if creating such a body would require a standalone Bill rather than an amendment to an existing one, Ms Duncan-Glancy admitted it was not the 'neatest opportunity to do this, but it is the only opportunity that we face'. While fellow Scottish Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said he understood the intentions behind the amendments, but added he did not think the plans were the right method of doing so. The Bill will scrap the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and replace it with Qualifications Scotland, which would work alongside a re-tooled Education Scotland and a newly-created chief inspector of education – who would be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges. In an hours-long session at Holyrood, hundreds of amendments to the Bill were discussed by MSPs. Ms Duncan-Glancy did not push another raft of changes – on the make-up of Qualifications Scotland's strategic advisory council – she proposed to a vote after receiving assurances from Ms Gilruth on the group's membership. MSPs also backed a push for a review of the accreditation of qualifications in Scotland proposed by Scottish Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie. Consideration of remaining amendments and a final vote on the Bill are scheduled to take place on Wednesday afternoon.
The Herald Scotland
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Labour calls on Holyrood to rethink education reforms
The Education (Scotland) Bill also includes plans to establish a chief inspector of education, who would be tasked with inspecting nurseries, schools and colleges across Scotland. However, Holyrood's Education Committee has warned the Bill needs "substantial amendment" to ensure the improvements ministers want to see are brought about. Labour education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy has hit out at the legislation, which she says will result in a "superficial rebrand" of the SQA. She spoke out ahead of MSPs debating hundreds of amendments to the Bill in a sitting that is expected to last until 10pm on Tuesday. Ms Duncan-Glancy said: "Scottish Labour will not back a Bill that is just tinkering around the edges of a system that is failing pupils, families and teachers." Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP Labour has brought forward amendments to the legislation seeking to set up a new independent body called Curriculum Scotland. Labour also wants to give Holyrood the ability to set in statute the minimum frequency at which school inspections should take place. It also wants to require Qualifications Scotland to engage with trade unions, as well as ensure children and young people are listened to when determining how the new bodies should operate. Speaking ahead of the amendments being debated, Ms Duncan-Glancy said: "We can see the consequences of SNP incompetence in our once-world-class schools - performance is declining, the attainment gap is growing, and violence is rife. "The SQA has lost the trust of teachers and the public - it needs to be abolished, but all the SNP has come up with is a superficial rebrand. "Only Scottish Labour's plans will genuinely scrap the SQA, deliver on the experts' calls to separate powers and create a qualifications body with teachers, children and parents at its heart." Read more: Anti-war protestors gather after US bombs Iranian nuclear sites Tributes paid to champion wingsuit jumper Liam Byrne Ex-Labour MP George Galloway backs second independence referendum She added: "Scotland's young people are our country's greatest asset - they need genuine reform and we will not vote for anything that falls short of this. "It is not too late for the SNP to listen to the experts and overhaul this legislation so it delivers genuine change and rebuilds public trust." Conservative education spokesperson Miles Briggs also accused SNP ministers of being "in complete denial' about the changes needed to improve Scottish education. The Tory MSP said: "It is shocking that they are simply planning to rebadge the SQA which is not fit for purpose and needs to be consigned to the history books once and for all." He added: "I hope the SNP will take this opportunity and support amendments brought forward by both the Scottish Conservatives and others to make this Bill fit for purpose and give Scots the world-class education system they deserve." The committee's report, published in December, backed the replacement of SQA and the creation of an independent inspectorate. Their report added that the committee "believes the Bill will require substantial amendment to ensure that the improvements envisaged by the Scottish Government in relation to engagement, governance, organisational culture and accountability become a reality for learners, teachers and staff". The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.
South Wales Argus
14-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
MSP ‘overwhelmed' to become MBE
Pam Duncan-Glancy is recognised in the King's Birthday Honours for years of public and political service. Speaking to the PA news agency, the Labour Glasgow MSP – the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to the Scottish Parliament and a tireless disability campaigner – said she had learned about the honour in a text from her husband after she had received an email about it. 'I was overwhelmed, to be honest, and could hardly believe what I was reading,' she said. 'I'm really, really proud to have been given this honour for the work that I've done in the community and for disability rights. The MSP was elected in 2021 (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'It's a real honour to do this. 'When I got elected as an MSP, I said I was a wee working class woman in a wheelchair. To think that I could be a wee working class woman in a wheelchair who's also got an MBE, I just thought that was pretty special.' While receiving such an honour from the Palace requires discretion, Ms Duncan-Glancy admitted she struggled keeping it all a secret. 'I told my sister, obviously my husband knows and I told my team and a couple of friends, but it was really difficult to keep it quiet,' she said. With just 11 months until the next Holyrood election, the MSP said there is 'loads more' the Scottish Parliament and politics more widely has to do for more disabled people to seek election. 'We need to support people to be active in their communities in the first place,' she said. 'For disabled people, it can often be about giving them help to get out of bed in the morning. 'There's quite a mountain to climb for us to support disabled people to get into politics and it's a mountain we absolutely have to climb, because there should be no space about us, without us. 'We need to do everything we possibly can to get more representation of disabled people, not just in Parliament or councils, but everywhere.' Elected in 2021, Ms Duncan-Glancy has impressed in her first term as an MSP, being given a spot on the Scottish Labour frontbench before even making it to Holyrood, when she was appointed social security spokeswoman by leader Anas Sarwar in the early weeks of his tenure. Before entering politics, she worked in communications for the NHS and campaigned for the rights of disabled people.
