KENNY MacAskill has accused SNP MPs who did not intervene in a bid to halt plans to limit protests outside Holyrood as "colluding" with the Home Secretary.
The former Scottish justice secretary, who is now an Alba MP and deputy leader, turned his wrath on his former colleagues in the SNP after just two - Joanna Cherry and Douglas Chapman - backed an early day motion hitting out at curbing demonstrations outside the Scottish Parliament.
Last month Alba urged SNP MPs to join with them to secure a debate and vote in the Commons on revoking a “draconian” order laid by Priti Patel to limit the protests.
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The cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), which manages the Holyrood estate, decided in June to get the building and its grounds the same security status as Westminster, royal palaces and military sites such as Faslane submarine base.
It asked the Home Office to make Holyrood a “designated site” on national security grounds, and an order was laid in the Commons in September under serious crime law and came into force on October 1.
The move was opposed in an emergency debate at September's SNP conference and has also been condemned by Amnesty International.
But under parliamentary procedure secondary legislation can be revoked 40 days within the order being laid as was the case on with regards to this measure on September 9. Recess days are not counted meaning opponents had until November 4 to get the policy scrapped.
MacAskill today launched a scathing attack on SNP MPs after the deadline to sign the motion passed.
“We really do have to ask what these powers are for? COP26 has shown these powers to be completely unnecessary" he said.
"The Police were more than able to deal with a March of 100,000 through the streets of Glasgow at the weekend without requiring any additional powers.
“While Joanna Cherry and Douglas Chapman deserve credit for supporting this important initiative, to revoke these powers, the vast bulk of SNP MPs have sat on their hands and refused to support a motion to secure a debate and vote to revoke Home Office legislation which limits protest at the Scottish Parliament, despite the SNP Conference voting against these powers."
He added: “Neale Hanvey reached out to all of the parties at Westminster offering to work with them, as part of a united front, to defeat this draconian law and said that if the SNP and Alba worked together we could at the very least secure a debate and vote on the legislation.
“Even after these powers came into force on 1 October there was still a realistic chance, under Westminster procedures, for this law to be revoked.
"But for that to happen it required SNP MPs to sign up to the motion and use their numerical clout to force a debate. SNP MPs refused to do that and that opportunity has now gone.
“You have to ask what the purpose of SNP MPs is if it is not to seize the opportunity to stand up for Scotland and defeat this right wing Conservative Government from imposing draconian laws which have been condemned by Amnesty International and their own party Conference."
He continued: “SNP MPs are colluding with Priti Patel, the most right wing Home Secretary in living memory, in open defiance of their own SNP membership and SNP conference which made its concerns clear about this attack on civil liberties and legitimate protest at our national Parliament.
"This is a dark day and one I never thought I would ever see. SNP MPs should hang their heads in shame.”
The SNP have been approached for comment.
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