John
04-16-2009, 08:53 AM
t is the first time the Cabinet has met in Scotland since Lloyd George brought his ministers together in Inverness in 1921.
The meeting comes as Mr Brown continues to face demands for a personal apology after one of his closest aides sent "juvenile and inappropriate" emails from a Number 10 account.
Ministers will undertake a host of engagements across Scotland before the meeting.
Members of the public will also get the chance to quiz Mr Brown and other Cabinet members at a question-and-answer session in Glasgow.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "I am proud to be able to welcome the Cabinet to my home city of Glasgow."
He continued: "We have an extraordinary history as the industrial powerhouse, not just of Scotland but of the UK as a whole. In the past we built the world's ships and its locomotives.
"Today, I am pleased to say, we still build ships on the Clyde, and we have grown strength in modern industries from state-of-the-art medical research to cutting-edge creative industries."
Despite the current economic turmoil, Mr Murphy argued that under Labour the last 12 years had been "some of the best in Scotland's history".
He added: "Despite the global downturn, we should be confident about the future. Scotland has a strong economic base for growth in the key industries of financial services, high-skill engineering, energy - from clean coal to tidal - tourism and quality food and drink."
While he said the collapse of some of Scotland's banks last year had been a "blow", he said the UK economy had the strength to rescue them, stating: "The economic case for devolution is overwhelming now."
The meeting comes as Mr Brown continues to face demands for a personal apology after one of his closest aides sent "juvenile and inappropriate" emails from a Number 10 account.
Ministers will undertake a host of engagements across Scotland before the meeting.
Members of the public will also get the chance to quiz Mr Brown and other Cabinet members at a question-and-answer session in Glasgow.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "I am proud to be able to welcome the Cabinet to my home city of Glasgow."
He continued: "We have an extraordinary history as the industrial powerhouse, not just of Scotland but of the UK as a whole. In the past we built the world's ships and its locomotives.
"Today, I am pleased to say, we still build ships on the Clyde, and we have grown strength in modern industries from state-of-the-art medical research to cutting-edge creative industries."
Despite the current economic turmoil, Mr Murphy argued that under Labour the last 12 years had been "some of the best in Scotland's history".
He added: "Despite the global downturn, we should be confident about the future. Scotland has a strong economic base for growth in the key industries of financial services, high-skill engineering, energy - from clean coal to tidal - tourism and quality food and drink."
While he said the collapse of some of Scotland's banks last year had been a "blow", he said the UK economy had the strength to rescue them, stating: "The economic case for devolution is overwhelming now."