AN economist has accused Jacob Rees-Mogg of using a “criminally misleading” chart to attack Labour’s devolution plans, arguing the Tory grandee’s graph misrepresents how much Scotland's economy has grown compared to England's.
Rees-Mogg shared a bar chart on social media claiming to show that England had higher GDP growth than Scotland and Wales from 2000 until 2025, framing further devolution as "not the answer".
The chart created by Brexit Facts4EU – pro-Brexit advocacy site rather than an independent research body – showed England at 48.5%, Scotland at 41.2% and Wales at 33.8%.
England's larger total GDP growth figure is largely a function of population growth, according to economic commentator Laurie Macfarlane, stating it "is mostly driven by immigration, which ironically Rees-Mogg wants less of".
England's population has grown significantly faster than Scotland's or Wales's over that period, driven substantially by immigration.
Macfarlane further added that Scotland’s GDP per capita has outgrown both the UK as a whole and England since the launch of the Scottish Parliament, sharing a chart from the Scottish Government.
Sharing a chart from which shows "growth in real GDP per capita, Scotland vs the UK (1999-2024)", Macfarlane said: "This is what Scotland vs the UK actually looks like".
It shows Scotland overtaking the UK by 2001 and holding a steady lead.
Scotland's GDP per capita in 2025 is estimated at around £41,612 per person, compared to the UK average of £41,660, which is ahead of most English regions outside London and the South East.
Scotland consistently ranks third in GDP per capita among UK regions, behind only London and the South East.
The latest Fraser of Allander Institute quarterly economic commentary reflected a “stronger than expected” economic performance for the Scottish economy recently, despite ongoing violence in the Middle East.
The economic researchers have revised their forecast for Scottish GDP growth in 2026 upwards from 0.9% to 1.0%.
