DAVID Cameron is facing criticism after threatening to withdraw co-operation with Scottish ministers after Humza Yousaf met Turkey’s president at COP28.
In a letter to Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson, the Foreign Secretary said the meeting breached devolution protocols as a UK official was not given “sufficient advance notice” of the location of the meeting to be able to attend.
However, a spokesperson for the FM said a Foreign Office official had been invited but “was elsewhere at the time it was convenient for the Turkish president to meet”.
A number of SNP parliamentarians have reacted to the news on social media with Joanna Cherry saying the Foreign Secretary was acting as a “great recruiter” for the SNP with his actions.
“Cameron threatens to close Scottish embassy offices or ‘unelected Lord Cameron clod hops his way into Scottish politics in a fashion reminiscent of his speech the morning after indyref,” Cherry said.
“Great recruiter for @theSNP is Dave.”
Meanwhile MP for West Dunbartonshire Martin Docherty-Hughes commented: “Hey @David_Cameron how about getting on with the day job & respond to my letter regarding my constituent Jagtar Singh Johal? Just asking…”
John Nicolson (below), the SNP MP for Ochil & South Perthshire also commented, saying: “What impertinence.
“An unelected UK Foreign Secretary having the gall to tell the Scottish Government’s First Minister who he can and cannot meet and under what circumstances.
“Can you imagine one of our independent neighbours putting up with this UK Foreign Office hauteur?”
It wasn’t just SNP figures who were critical of Cameron for his actions, with Alastair Campbell writing: “This is ridiculous… if a leader of one of the devolved nations is at an international conference and meets other leaders what is the problem?”
Cameron said in his letter the UK Government would “need to consider the presence of Scottish Government offices in UK Government posts”.
