YESSERS have reacted with fury to the revelation the UK Government is considering sanctioning the Scottish Government for spending money on independence campaigning.
It was revealed in the Lords on Monday that Westminster could introduce new rules to penalise the Scottish Government for its work in promoting the case for Yes – sparking outrage among independence supporters.
Many took to social media to voice their shock at the announcement.
Chris Law, the SNP MP for Dundee West, said: “What is the point of the UK? It’s certainly not a union of equals.”
Glenrothes MP Peter Grant said: “If we're going to talk about governments going beyond their competence the British government definitely shouldn't be doing HS2, CrossRail, Ajax armoured vehicles, passports, driving licences, Covid test and trace, PPE, running the economy, trade deals, pensions.”
Kelly Parry, the SNP leader of Midlothian Council, said the revelation proved the UK was not a “union of equals”.
She tweeted: “'We will punish you for delivering on a manifesto commitment voted for by the Scottish electorate'. A union of equals? Not now, not ever.”
Speaking on Monday, the SNP’s Cabinet Office spokesperson Kirsty Blackman said: “It is deeply ironic that unelected members of the House of Lords are seeking to dictate what Scotland's democratically elected Parliament can and can’t do.
“It’s also very clear that the process of trying to stymie the Scottish Parliament is being driven by Tory ministers, egged on by a Labour peer, not civil servants.
"The 2021 Scottish Parliament election saw a majority of MSPs elected on a pro-independence platform, and these attempts to stop the Scottish Government from promoting the benefits of Scotland becoming an independent country destroy the very notion of the UK as a consensual arrangement.”
It appears the UK Government does not currently possess the powers to sanction Scottish ministers for working on reserved matters, such as the constitution.
Raising the issue in the House of Lords on Monday, Lord Foulkes called on the Government to update the Cabinet Manual – a rule book setting out the rules for the operation of government.
The Labour peer said: “Since the last Cabinet Manual was considered, and also when the Scotland Act was passed through both houses of this parliament, it was never envisaged that the Scottish Government would stray into reserved areas, as they are now doing, and therefore there are no sanctions for the UK Government to take in relation to that kind of action.
“Would this be something that could be considered when this Cabinet Manual is being revised?”
Responding for the Government, Cabinet Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe replied: “I will certainly take that point away.
“It's obviously a UK Government document, signed off by UK ministers, accountable to UK Parliament, but one of the revisions that will be needed will relate to the sort of changes in the devolution settlements.
“I think there have been two Wales bills and two Scotland bills since the manual was last revised.”
The announcement was welcomed by Unionists, however, with Derek Stillie, the unsuccessful Tory candidate for Central Ayrshire in 2019, commenting: “We voted for a devolved administration to try to improve services on a regional level.
“Instead, we’ve ended up with a minority government now led by the far left that has seen services decline, our NHS in crisis, schools failing and boats that don’t sail. It stops now!”
