It feels longer than a week since the Chancellor of the Exchequer got to her feet and unveiled the UK’s most significant spending review in years.

As is usual after any announcement of this scale, the following days see ministers travelling across the country, doing their best to communicate the good news and meet with those groups set to be most affected by the Government’s decisions.

By the Friday morning, I was in Scotland to get the reaction from business leaders, workers and economic experts on what the news meant for Scotland and how we could work together to implement some of the biggest pieces of public investment Scotland has ever seen.

I wanted Scotland to be the first place I visited after the Spending Review because it is so central to the whole UK Government’s Plan for Change.

With an economy already worth £204 billion a year, Scotland is leading the way in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, its defence sector is essential to keeping our country safe while supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs, and of course, Scottish food and drink exports are enjoyed the world over.

Rachel Reeves delivering the spending review last weekThe power and potential of Scotland’s economy is exactly why I wanted it to be at the heart of the Spending Review, right from the very start of the process.

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, it was my job to lead negotiations with each secretary of state for their department’s budget.

In the past, that process too often became a performative Whitehall dance, which saw the interests of........

© Herald Scotland