Tories running scared and sabotaging Scotland’s parliament
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Jack, is “running scared” and “hiding from the truth”, says the Scottish Greens constitutional spokesperson, Ross Greer MSP who has accused Mr Jack of a “power grab.”
It comes with the news that Mr Jack has refused to explain to a Scottish Parliament committee why he used the anti-democratic Internal Market Act to torpedo the Scottish Government’s proposed Deposit Return Scheme for bottles and cans.
In his response to the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero Committee, the Secretary of State bizarrely once again raised his response to Mr Greer’s previous statements that he had misled the UK Parliament in regards to the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme.
Speaking in a parliamentary debate on protecting the powers of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Greer said:
“Why is Alister Jack hiding? What is he running scared from? Let me tell you - Jack is hiding from the truth.
“He u-turned on his own manifesto commitment. He tore up the common frameworks, agreed between the UK and devolved governments. He torpedoed Scotland’s DRS using his undemocratic powers under the IMA. And now he is trying to dodge scrutiny by Scotland’s elected representatives."
Describing the Internal Market Act as a “power grab”, Mr Greer added:
“Despite the primacy of this Parliament being the preference of the vast majority of people in Scotland, the UK Westminster Government is engaged in a direct attack on the fundamental principles of devolution and on Scottish democracy itself.
“A Tory government which Scotland did not vote for has used a Brexit process which Scotland also rejected to give itself a new power of veto over decisions made by the Parliament and Government which the people of Scotland did elect.”