Public Knowledge

E1: Scotland & UK power plays, Who's really in charge?


Listen Later

#Scotland, #NicolaSturgeon, Chief of Staff, #Holyrood, #Westminster, #Brexit, #Devolution, #Government, #Economy, #Labour MPs, SNP



Nicola Sturgeon’s former Chief of Staff, Liz Lloyd, reveals the power dynamics between the Scottish and UK Governments and their impact on how we live our lives in Scotland.


Speaking with Sepi Golzari-Munro, she reveals what Nicola Sturgeon was really like, the impact of Brexit on the relationship between the UK and Scottish governments, whether the Scottish Parliament's powers have been rolled back and the role of SNP MPs and Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster. She goes on to highlight the economic challenges Scotland faces and the potential for future collaboration between the governments.


00:00 Introduction

01:44 What is a Chief of Staff?

02:46 Working for Nicola Sturgeon

05:17 Best of Times - Worst of Times

06:26 Historical Context - Who Runs Scotland?

07:40 A Tale of Two Governments

10:05 Brexit and the Breakdown of Cooperation

13:24 Rolling Back Devolution? The Internal Market Act

18:23 Escalating Tensions: Muscular Unionism or Devolution Overreach

26:06 Proper Role for Westminster in Devolution

28:01 Scotland and Devolution - Always an Afterthought?

32:10 Getting Messy and Stifling the Scottish Economy?

39:17 The Role of Scottish MPs in Westminster

41:08 How Should Scottish Labour MPs Advocate for Scotland?

46:37 Crown Estate Scotland and Scottish Ministers' Raid

49:05 The Council of Nations and Regions

50:53 Conclusion

51:13 Outro

51:49 End Plate



Liz Lloyd was Strategic Adviser and Chief of Staff to the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. She helped design and deliver the Scottish Government’s legislative agenda for more than a decade covering all areas of policy, with a particular focus on the transition to net zero, the development of new economic opportunities and international relations.


Liz played a central role in the Scottish Government’s approach to policy and communications through the COVID pandemic, supported the development of new institutions including tax and social security systems and the Scottish National Investment Bank, and advised the First Minister through the independence and Brexit referenda and on inter-governmental negotiations.



She is now a Specialist Partner at policy consultancy, Flint Global.



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/public_knowledge_pod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@public_knowledge_pod?_t=8sIhMOiLosj&_r=1

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/publicknowledgepod.bsky.social

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/public-knowledge-pod/about



Listen to all episodes on Youtube, Spotify and Apple

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Public KnowledgeBy Sepi Golzari-Munro