UK Government’s new ‘flagship hub’ in Edinburgh completed

The UK Government’s new “flagship hub” in Edinburgh has now been completed and is ready to be occupied.

Queen Elizabeth House will bring together nearly 3,000 civil servants from 11 UK Government departments and it includes Scotland’s first dedicated UK Government Cabinet meeting room.

The seven-storey, 190,000 square foot new office building is located just off the Royal Mile, close to Waverley Station, the Scottish Parliament and the headquarters of the Scottish Government.

Departments that will move into the hub include the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Office of the Advocate General, HMRC, HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, the Office for Statistics Regulation, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Government Actuary’s Department.

Other UK Government departments are expected to confirm occupancy in the coming months.

Work is also underway on a Glasgow hub.

The completion was marked by a visit from the Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, who was joined on a tour of the building by UK Government ministers for Scotland David Duguid and Iain Stewart as well the Advocate General for Scotland, Lord Keen.

Jack said: “Less than three weeks ago the Prime Minister came to Scotland to reaffirm his unwavering commitment to strengthening the United Kingdom and the completion of Queen Elizabeth House is a further visible and tangible sign of the UK Government delivering on this.

“As we look forward to ensuring our economy can bounce back after coronavirus and making the most of new global opportunities outside the EU, the case for the Union has never been stronger.

“It was exciting to tour the completed building and I very much look forward to seeing the UK Government’s expanded and more co-ordinated presence in Scotland deliver even better services for people and businesses.”