AN unelected Lord has demanded the UK Government take action against Holyrood to block spending on indyref2.
Lord George Foulkes, a former Labour Scotland Office minister, claimed it was illegal for the SNP to spend “UK taxpayers’ money” to plan for a second referendum and promote the case for independence.
He urged the Government’s Scotland Office minister in the Lords to use his “strong Scottish arm” and crack down on the Edinburgh administration, formed by two pro-Yes parties, to stop planning another referendum.
Lord Foulkes said: “Boris Johnson has ruled out a second referendum. The candidates for leadership of the Tory party have ruled out a second referendum.
“Even more important, Keir Starmer has ruled out a second referendum, so there ain’t gonna be a second referendum.
“Yet the Scottish Government are employing 20 civil servants and printing and producing party political propaganda using UK taxpayers’ money in their campaign to break up Britain.
“Nicola Sturgeon is taking the UK Government for fools.
“So will the minister take up his strong Scottish arm and say to the Prime Minister and, even more important in this context, the head of the civil service, to stop this illegality and start using the money that they get from British taxpayers on the services for which they are now responsible?”
While the minister, Lord Ian Offord, who has never held elected office, refused to commit to Foulkes’ suggestions, he slammed the SNP’s record in office and mocked the documents prepared recently to make the case for independence.
Drawing on the title of one, Offord said the SNP had failed to make Scotland “wealthier, fairer, or happier” during their 15 years in power.
He added: “Right-minded Scots would agree that using civil service resources to design a prospectus for independence was the wrong thing to be doing at this time”.
The UK Government has repeatedly declined to grant a Section 30 order to allow the transfer of powers from Westminster to Holyrood for a second referendum to be held.
Lord Foulkes previously revealed plans to introduce legislation to ban the Scottish Government from holding a second referendum.
