Flynn writes to prime mandarin over ‘tighter controls’ on Scottish Government
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NP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn has written to the top of the civil service elevating issues that the UK Government is “exerting ever tighter control on Scotland’s national democratic institutions”.
With Mr Flynn insisting that Westminster is in search of to “stop the Scottish Government from carrying out the work it was elected to do” as regards to a second independence referendum, he wrote to Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service.
It comes within the wake of feedback from Mr Case that that civil servants in Scotland might be issued with new steering on this inside “weeks”.
Meanwhile, Scottish Government spending on independence minister as a part of Jamie Hepburn’s portfolio is being investigated by the advocate common for Scotland, Lord Stewart, the UK Government’s prime adviser on Scots legislation.
Mr Flynn, nevertheless, careworn the “democratic decision” made by Scots within the 2021 Holyrood election, which he mentioned resulted in a “clear majority in favour of independence”.
As a end result, he mentioned he was in search of “clarification” from Mr Case over Scottish Government work selling independence.
The SNP MP mentioned that the UK Government was “clearly active in attempts to counter pro-independence arguments”, noting {that a} so-called Union hub had been established by senior Tory minister Michael Gove.
Mr Flynn added {that a} Union Strategy Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, had additionally been established and that there had been a “large increase in the communications budget of the Scotland Office, which has become increasingly assertive in its anti-independence stance”.
Attempts are actually being made not solely to disclaim individuals in Scotland the suitable to resolve their very own future, however to cease the Scottish Government from finishing up the work it was elected to do
The SNP Westminster chief continued: “I assume there are various other initiatives in Whitehall to support the UK Government’s policy position in favour of the Union. I have no argument with that.
“But I struggle to see why that work is deemed impartial but Scottish Government work on independence is not.”
Mr Flynn mentioned: “The fact that attempts are now being made not only to deny people in Scotland the right to decide their own future, but to stop the Scottish Government from carrying out the work it was elected to do, will reinforce the sense that Westminster is not interested in working in partnership but is only concerned with exerting ever tighter control on Scotland’s national democratic institutions.”
While the UK is “supposed to be a partnership of equal nations” the SNP Westminster chief added that “many people in Scotland now believe the UK is no longer an equal partnership because of the actions of the UK Government”, which he accused of “denying the clear mandate given by the people in Scotland for a referendum on independence”.
But giving proof to the House of Lords Constitution Committee not too long ago, Mr Case mentioned that having civil servants working to “break up the United Kingdom” could be “unusual and worrying”.