UNIONIST parties have just four days to “decide if they will step up to protect devolution”, the SNP have said.
Keith Brown, the party’s depute leader, will raise a motion at Holyrood on Tuesday on “Protecting Devolution and the Scottish Parliament”.
Ahead of the debate, the SNP MSP told the parties of Douglas Ross and Anas Sarwar that they have just four days to ensure they “defend devolution” – or confirm they are “happy to see the Scottish Parliament undermined and for Westminster to tighten its control over Scotland”.
Brown said: “It could not be a more critical time for Scottish democracy as we see explicit and repeated attacks on devolution from Westminster which Labour and the Tories are happy to help facilitate.
“The necessity of this debate should be unthinkable. But we have an out-of-control Tory Scottish Secretary acting like a Governor-General grabbing powers and placing himself above the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland.
“I will do everything I can to defend Scottish democracy from blatant Westminster attacks.
“From the unprecedented decision to invoke a Section 35 order in order to veto devolved legislation, to ongoing breaches of the Sewel Convention – the Tories are attempting to destroy devolution by any means necessary, and it is beyond shameful that Keir Starmer’s Labour party has been silently complicit on the matter.
“If Tory and Labour MSPs fail to speak up to defend devolution in my debate in Holyrood next Tuesday then they are confirming they are happy to see the Scottish Parliament undermined and for Westminster to tighten its control over Scotland.”
Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives were approached for comment.
