Month: September 2025

Scotland’s tradition of shipbuilding has iconic status and can still deliver a new age of success, argues Dr Marie Macklin

The HERALD | Thursday 25th September 2025.

Scotland’s industrial history is many layered. As a nation we were in the vanguard of the industrial revolution, charting a path which others followed while reaping the benefits, and downsides, of industrialization and the rapid deindustrialization which has followed in more recent times.

Coal mining, textile manufacturing and steel making all form part of that story – a rich tapestry of toil and achievement, the legacies of which, for good and ill, are all around us. But if there is one industry above all others which still has iconic status in Scotland, it is surely our tradition of shipbuilding.

The days when the shipyards of the Clyde built many of the merchant and passenger vessels sailing the world’s oceans are long gone, but there remains a core of expertise here which may yet deliver a new age of success.

Recent announcements that Scottish shipyards are to be at the very forefront of a new raft of international defence procurement is proof of that enduring excellence.

And it also presents a chance to revitalize the sector for the long term in a way that can underpin a new age of reindustrialization which is so badly needed.  However, it is a moment which needs to be seized before the window of opportunity closes. The news that the Norwegian Government has decided to choose Scottish shipbuilders to construct a new generation of warships is testament to the critical mass of skill and ingenuity which remains on the Clyde.

It will see at least five Type 26 frigates constructed for the Norwegian navy, securing thousands of Scottish jobs in the process. At a cost of £10 billion, the deal is reported to be both the biggest ever warship export deal for the UK, and also the largest ever exercise in overseas military procurement by Norway.

Just days after that announcement came the news that the Babcock yard at Rosyth is expected to win a £1 billion contract to build four vessels for the Danish navy.

The remaining shipyards of the Clyde and the Forth, whilst a fraction of the size of the industry which once dominated their shorelines, will now be secure in their work stretching towards the middle of this century at least.

But while the new contracts announced are in the naval sector, that should act as an incentive for how the commercial shipping sector can also build its way back to at least something of its former greatness. The opportunity should be grasped to turn this moment of success into a generational win, securing the sector for decades to come.

And while it might not be realistic to expect the Clyde and Forth to be turned back into the hotbed of heavy industry of generations past, that does not mean we should close our eyes to the type of new opportunities at hand.

And it also presents a chance to revitalize the sector for the long term in a way that can underpin a new age of reindustrialization which is so badly needed.  However, it is a moment which needs to be seized before the window of opportunity closes.

The news that the Norwegian Government has decided to choose Scottish shipbuilders to construct a new generation of warships is testament to the critical mass of skill and ingenuity which remains on the Clyde.

It will see at least five Type 26 frigates constructed for the Norwegian navy, securing thousands of Scottish jobs in the process. At a cost of £10 billion, the deal is reported to be both the biggest ever warship export deal for the UK, and also the largest ever exercise in overseas military procurement by Norway.

Just days after that announcement came the news that the Babcock yard at Rosyth is expected to win a £1 billion contract to build four vessels for the Danish navy.

The remaining shipyards of the Clyde and the Forth, whilst a fraction of the size of the industry which once dominated their shorelines, will now be secure in their work stretching towards the middle of this century at least.

But while the new contracts announced are in the naval sector, that should act as an incentive for how the commercial shipping sector can also build its way back to at least something of its former greatness. The opportunity should be grasped to turn this moment of success into a generational win, securing the sector for decades to come.

And while it might not be realistic to expect the Clyde and Forth to be turned back into the hotbed of heavy industry of generations past, that does not mean we should close our eyes to the type of new opportunities at hand.

That includes the use of shipbuilding skills to provide facilities which can be deployed in the green economy, such as the manufacture of modern sail technologies, which have the potential to massively decarbonize merchant shipping around the globe.

If we do not seize this moment, then there are many others who will be happy to fill that space, whether it is in the form of new arrivals on the shipbuilding scene, or others who like us have a great maritime heritage they are trying to reinvigorate.

That latter category includes the United States, which is poised to ramp up its seagoing manufacturing as part of concerted governmental action to restore America’s maritime dominance in the face of competition from China and elsewhere.

The sector here deserves the same kind of government support, whether that comes from Holyrood or Westminster.  That should involve concrete action to restore our own commercial maritime manufacturing capabilities, expanding and strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce. A new Maritime Act that puts our communities first would be a welcome step.

Any such legislation should aim to build on the principle of social value, so that extra weight is given to the societal and community benefits likely to be delivered when it comes to scoring bids for the awarding of contracts.

It is an approach endorsed by Graeme Thomson, the new chief executive at the Ferguson’s shipyard in Port Glasgow.

Ferguson’s has been at the centre of much controversy in recent years, but we need to move beyond that so that the commercial and naval shipbuilding sectors become strong enough to complement each other, in a mutually reinforcing virtuous circle.

There is another dimension when it comes to the question of shipbuilding because, like so many other issues in Scotland’s public discourse, it is bound up with constitutional politics.  Too often the sector – and the construction of naval vessels in particular – has been used as a pawn in the debate about our country’s future.

We should take politics out of it. That means accepting that, however the nation is governed and whatever the future holds, the skill of our workers means they will always be able to secure orders based on their craft and expertise.  The award of the recent naval contracts is solid proof of that.

Instead of using the shipbuilding sector as a political football, we should, to borrow a phrase from the beautiful game, resort to good old-fashioned “route one” tactics, by being direct and decisive to deliver a win for the home team.

This week marks World Maritime Day. It’s an occasion to remember our nation’s proud seagoing history – but also one to look ahead with hope and optimism to what can still be a bright future.

Dr Marie Macklin CBE is a leading Scottish businesswoman and investor. 

Wednesday 16th September 2025

When President Trump was elected last November, I spoke about the need for sensible, practical and pragmatic engagement from our own politicians with the incoming US administration.

Writing in the Times, I said: 

America has elected Trump as its President for the next four years whether we like it or not. We can either look the other way, or we can seek to work with and influence his administration in as positive and productive ways as possible.

You don’t have to agree with all, or any, of Trump’s rhetoric to agree that it is better to work for the common good regardless of who occupies the White House.  If our political and business leaders are prepared to be pragmatists by engaging wherever possible, we can hope not only to help steer Trump’s second presidency in the most positive direction possible, but also to reap a share of the benefits, including here in Scotland.

As President Trump is welcomed to the UK this week for his second States Visit, I am pleased that such an approach is indeed being taken forward by both the Scottish and UK Governments. The State Visit itself is evidence of that, as was last week’s visit to the White House by First Minister John Swinney to discuss the issue of tariffs on Scotch whisky.

There is much to be gained by such pragmatic engagement. That does not mean having to agree on everything. It does mean working together wherever possible for the common good.

Click for The Times article.

Were he to have had time to explore the town, he would see, rising out of an abandoned space in its old industrial heart, a building and a concept which have the power to transform the way we think about workspaces – and, I believe, with the potential to help drive forward the process of urban and community regeneration globally.  

The HALO – an award-winning business innovation park, urban regeneration and business start-up support company – is a project I have steered since its inception.

It is breathing new economic life into the communities around it, and I believe it can become the model for how those towns and cities impacted by the long process of deindustrialization across much of the western world in recent decades can be rejuvenated.

Firstly though, it is worth recounting the backstory to the HALO journey.

When the spirits giant Diageo pulled out of Kilmarnock in 2009 it was a devastating blow to the town and the wider community.

For almost 200 years, the iconic Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky brand had been associated with Kilmarnock. Diageo’s decision severed that link and ended a relationship which had delivered jobs for generations of people, supporting families and providing the economic heartbeat of the town.

The decision to close it was met with a huge grassroots campaign for the company to reverse its decision and to save the plant and the jobs which went with it. It saw 20,000 people march through the town.

It was a march I joined and a campaign I was proud to play a leading role in, but which was, ultimately, unsuccessful. The plant closed, and 700 jobs were lost.

However, from the deep despair that the closure provoked in the local community, new hope has risen.

The 23-acre site where the Johnnie Walker plant once stood is now occupied by the HALO HQ building, the centrepiece of a digital, cyber and innovation park.

HALO is a net zero development providing the community with jobs and skills training as well as access to employment opportunities, clean energy and housing.

It will generate £205 million in additional GDP and support up to 1,500 jobs, while based on the holistic concept of “Live, Work, Learn and Play” for its commercial and residential tenants.

HALO’s enterprise and innovation centre, a commercial hub created to stimulate digital learning, will provide a conducive environment for spin-out, new-start, scale-ups, digital, manufacturing and cyber businesses of all sizes.

Despite the delays caused by the Covid pandemic, the HALO HQ opened in March 2022.  

HALO is now central to a project which is on the verge of securing no fewer than 1,200 jobs for the Scottish economy, in a development that promises to lock in growth, opportunity and community wealth for the long term.

The UK-based undersea cable manufacturer XLCC is poised to deliver 900 manufacturing-related jobs in Ayrshire, making the region a key hub for European and global development of technology which will help power the next generation of renewable energy projects.  In addition, 300 more jobs are due to come to HALO in Kilmarnock.  This is a project of national significance, and these posts, including project delivery and sales teams, will drive and support the manufacturing facility. 

The HALO concept is founded on the principle that we must build back by fostering innovation, growth and job creation so that we can reindustrialize and meet the challenges of tomorrow whilst giving workers and communities the hope of a better future.

For too long, the working communities on which previous generations of economic success were founded have been abandoned.  It is a phenomenon seen in the UK and more widely across other post-industrial nations – and one which recently saw a UK Government minister warn that working class children faced being “written off” by society.

That cannot be allowed to happen. The HALO concept provides a blueprint for how we can deliver a better future for all our communities.  

I have already engaged in extensive discussions with a range of parties as to how the HALO brand cam be expanded beyond Scotland and the UK to other countries. I believe it can be a success in the United States, Europe and beyond.

HALO is a tangible sign of hope in troubled economic times – a phoenix from the ashes which shows what is possible with hard work, commitment and a desire to chart a new way of creating economic opportunity. I am determined to share that experience and to take the HALO brand anywhere in the world where it could help effect a similar transformation.