He said: “These are serious times. And as we look ahead to the Scottish Parliament elections next year, the message from business is clear: please do not let the hurly-burly of an election destroy the close collaboration between the two governments that is needed to deliver investment. 

“Politics is the art of the possible. But it is the task of great politicians, grown-up politicians, politicians of consequence, to make the necessary, possible. But it will need a fierce sense of urgency, an unwavering focus on getting infrastructure built and investment deployed.”

Mr Soames added: “Governments north and south of the Border can disagree on many things, but they must make, and keep, common cause when it comes to building out the critical national infrastructure which will drive growth and increase prosperity for Scotland and for the United Kingdom.” 

Flagging what he describes as Scotland’s historic role as a “catalyst for the United Kingdom’s fortunes”, Mr Soames is arguing that excessive politicking risks squandering Scotland’s enormous economic potential including “natural energy resources that make our competitors green with envy.” 

Commenting on Scotland’s economy ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, Mr Soames said: “In the words of the song, whether we take the high road, or the low road, the road to growth for the United Kingdom runs through Scotland. 

“Throughout history Scotland has been a catalyst of the United Kingdom’s fortunes, whether it was the Scottish Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, or the prosperity brought by the North Sea. And now with BAE Systems’ £10 billion deal to build frigates – evidence, if any was needed, that world-class shipbuilding is not a tale of the past, but a promise of the future.”

He added: “Looking ahead, Scotland can be that catalyst for the UK’s growth again. Natural energy resources to make our competitors green with envy. World-class universities pushing the boundaries of knowledge and research. The best-educated workforce in the UK. 

“But these advantages need good government to turn them into increasing growth and prosperity. To go down that road will take trust and collaboration between politicians and institutions; between Holyrood and Westminster; and between governments and business.” 

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Mr Soames highlighted the CBI’s opposition to the hike in employers’ national insurance contributions which was announced in Labour’s Budget on October 30 last year and took effect from April 6.

He said: “There are around nine million people of working age who are not in employment – the majority of whom are on some sort of benefit. The UK Government has, rightly, a mission to get at least a million of these people back into work.   

“At the time of the Budget, we warned the Chancellor that the changes to national insurance she announced would have a serious impact on companies’ willingness to hire people, would harm growth, and would be in direct conflict with the Government’s policy to get people off benefits and into employment.”

Mr Soames added: “It gives me no pleasure to say that we have been proved right. All the surveys and figures we see, all we hear from members, says that the NICs (national insurance contributions) changes are having a serious impact on employment: vacancies are down, unemployment is up, and job creation has slowed.”   

However, he also had praise for the Labour Government.

He said: “We need to get the economy growing again. It is growth that will make people more prosperous; growth that will make our public services affordable; and growth that will enable us to pay down some of the debt we incurred during Covid – rather than leaving it as an obligation for our children and grandchildren. 

“The UK Government gets that – their whole election campaign and economic model was based on getting the economy growing again. The UK Government has established the UK as a skilful and respected player on the world stage in defence and trade.”