LIZ Truss has been warned she must rule out "anti-devolution" peer David Frost from her Government.
The SNP call follows speculation that the Tory leadership frontrunner would offer the former Cabinet Office minister a role in her government, should she become the next prime minister.
The unelected Frost has previously caught the ire of the Yes movement for his comments on Scottish devolution, saying that Scotland should “evolve back” and that independence would be “morally wrong".
READ MORE: Douglas Ross's claims GERS shows 'record Union dividend' branded 'fiction'
Frost made the comments in a column in the Daily Telegraph, where he referred to Scotland as a “subordinate-entity…within the UK”.
Also included in the article was a plan to make independence “impossible” to achieve by imposing legislation that would require three-quarters of MSPs to be pro-independence over a decade.
Now the SNP are looking to pre-empt any move from Truss to welcome Frost back into the government fold.
SNP Deputy Westminster Leader Kirsten Oswald MP said that Frost has shown “nothing but disdain for Scotland” and that if the Tories look to offer him a senior role in government then it would signal they are “gearing up to dismantle devolution lock, stock and barrel”.
She added: “The Cabinet Office is supposed to be the Whitehall department that engages with the devolved administrations, so putting an anti-devolution candidate like David Frost in charge - a man who has called on the rollback of devolution itself - is a staggering revelation behind the curtain of power at Westminster.
“Liz Truss must immediately distance herself from these suggestions and rule out categorically that David Frost would serve in any government position she might have the influence in deciding.
“The only way to guarantee the protection of Scotland’s parliament is to rid Scotland of Westminster governments we don’t vote for with the full powers of independence.”
Truss's campaign and Lord Frost were contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel