CRITICS of the Scottish Government’s campaign for independence are attempting to “shut down” debate, the First Minister has argued.
Humza Yousaf said at a press event in East Lothian on Wednesday that it was well within the jurisdiction of the Scottish Government to have civil servants working on papers making the case for Yes.
His comments come amid growing Westminster scrutiny of the work of Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn, who is responsible for a series of documents being published by the pro-independence Edinburgh administration.
The papers set out the Scottish Government’s arguments for independence – but have raised questions at the highest levels of Whitehall, with a top mandarin suggesting making the documents went over the remit of Holyrood.
Britain’s top civil servant Simon Case told a Lords committee last week that Scottish Government spending on independence campaigns was under investigation.
Speaking in Cockenzie in East Lothian, Yousaf said: “The work that we’re doing in relation to the Building a New Scotland series, the papers that we're launching … are well within the scope of work that we are able to do.
"What I would say to those UK parties, be it Scottish Labour, be it the Conservatives, is what have they got to fear from us making the positive case?
"This, to me, is a demonstration of just how weak their case is, if they’re trying to shut down what we have been democratically elected to do.
"And I thought Lord George Foulkes let the cat out the bag, he said the quiet bit out loud, when he said Scotland is not part of a union of equals, despite everything those parties have told us in the past.”
He added: “What I would say to them is, instead of trying to shut us down, instead of trying to stop us from doing the work we’re wanting to do, bring your arguments forward.
"Let’s have that discussion, that debate around the merits of independence.
"Instead of trying to shut us down, let’s have a free, frank and open discussion.”
It comes amid a row over comments made by Labour grandee Lord Foulkes, who said he wanted to see Scottish Government ministers working outside of the bounds of devolution to be sanctioned by Westminster.
He told The National on Tuesday that ministers working outside of the devolved powers outlined in the Scotland Act should face a personal fine and said on BBC Scotland the following morning that the UK was not a “Union of equals”.
