Andrew McRae, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland’s policy chair, said: “Businesses in Scotland face far fewer restrictions now than they did earlier in the pandemic. And today the First Minister outlined a timeline to lift many of the remaining rules, albeit slower than many would like.
“However, the impression that Scotland has a ‘first-in, last-out’ approach to covid restrictions frustrates many in business. At a time when debt-laden firms are facing dramatic fuel and utility hikes, operators are looking for Ministers to inject confidence, not seed doubt.”