IT shouldn’t be a hard thing to find out. It’s a fairly straightforward yes or no question.
Are the SNP going to be given a seat on the Scottish Affairs Committee in Westminster?
The party were handed a bruising at the General Election. But they’re still the party of government in Scotland.
Given that they still make up around 15% of the Scottish contingent down here, it seems logical they’d be allowed a seat or two on the committee.
Fairness would also allow them a seat. One Labour source pointed out that former SNP chair of the committee Pete Wishart gave newbie MP Michael Shanks (below) a place, though he wasn't required to do so.
Labour sources think it's likely the SNP will be allowed on the committee, though given their reduced stature they are no longer entitled to representation on any committees.
One Scottish Labour MP who spoke to The National was supportive of giving his rivals a seat, arguing it was only fair.
But it is an issue for the whips office and they appear to be mired in political horse-trading.
There could be arguments about how many Tories should sit on the committee, given that they make up an even smaller percentage of Scottish seats in the Commons – though their overall ranks theoretically entitle them to a much greater share of committee places.
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Patricia Ferguson, the Labour MP for Glasgow West, was earlier this week voted as chair in a knife-edge vote which saw the former Scottish Executive minister (such as it was) defeat her rival Gregor Poynton by just two votes.
She’s in for a tasty pay bump of £18,000 on top of her standard issue £91,000 MP salary. Plus there’s trips, a little boost to your public profile, and the kind of exposure and experience that might take Ferguson into Government.
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Despite total agreement among all Labour figures The National has spoken to that the SNP would and should be given a seat on the committee, a spokesperson on Friday said bluntly that no decision had been made on the make-up of the committee, which is in the gift of the party whips.
The SNP will be furious if they’re left out. But given reports the committee is set to expand its remit to scrutinise the work of the Scottish Government (never mind the Holyrood committees created for exactly that purpose), could they decide to boycott it?
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