THE SNP has continued to hit out at the Prime Minster over a so-called 'power grab' during Prime Minister's Questions.
Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader, said the UK Internal Market Bill proposals were“nothing short of an attack on Scotland’s Parliament and an affront to the people of Scotland”.
He told Boris Johnson: "This legislation breaks international law, but it also breaks domestic law. The Prime Minister and his friends… are creating a rogue state, one where the rule of law does not apply. Why does the PM think that he and his friends are above the law?"
Mr Johnson replied: "This UK Internal Market Bill is about protecting jobs, protecting growth, ensuring the fluidity and safety of our UK internal market and prosperity throughout the UK and it should be welcomed, I believe, in Scotland, in Northern Ireland, in Wales and throughout the whole country.”
Mr Blackford said: “We saw the PM breaking the law last year with the prorogation of Parliament, we’ve seen the behaviour of Dominic Cummings and we know that this Government’s prepared to break its international obligations and what the Prime Minister said is complete rubbish and the Prime Minister knows this."
It comes after the government confirmed last night that it would be able to fund projects directly in Scotland without the permission of Holyrood under the new plans.
Councils would be able to appeal directly to Westminster for cash, even if what they planned to spend it on was against the will of MSPs.
SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP later asked if the Prime Minister would plough ahead with the Bill, and said Scotland's "time has come" to be an independent country.
He said: "If the Prime Minister won’t listen to the Scottish Government, will he listen to the NFU Scotland President who warned the proposals 'limit the devolved administrations'; the Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee that warned it will 'create new reservations in areas of devolved competence' and the General Teaching Council for Scotland that warned it undermines devolved education functions?
"Scotland is speaking out and I state that the Scottish Parliament will reject this attack on devolution.
"So the question is will the prime Minister break domestic law, disregard the settled will of the people of Scotland and ignore the concerns of Scotland’s communities and press ahead with this Bill?
"The time for Scotland’s place as an independent – international law abiding – nation is almost here. Our time has come."
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