BORIS Johnson is "panicking" about the threat of Scottish independence by beefing up union-promoting staff at Westminster, the SNP has claimed.
Several new jobs are being advertised in the Cabinet Office's Union Directorate at a cost of at least £280,000, while the budget for the Scotland Office has soared by 73 per cent since 2014.
The increased spending has prompted claims by the SNP that the Prime Minister is in a state of panic about the rising support for leaving the union, despite repeatedly stating he would not grant permission for another referendum.
He also said that he thought independence was not a priority for the majority of Scots during a visit north of the border earlier this year.
READ MORE: Gove's 'union unit' seeks new staff but knowledge of Scotland not essential
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have revealed that the No.10 Union Unit is staffed by a team of four people, with salaries of more than £200,000 in total.
Last week the former Tory MP Luke Graham was ousted from his job at the head of the unit, and has now been replaced by an apprentice of Dominic Cummings, Oliver Lewis.
Mr Graham had worked in the unit since he lost his seat in 2019, but is said to have become increasingly frustrated with Mr Johnson's policies and plans for the union.
Mr Lewis was involved in the Vote Leave Brexit campaign alongside the Prime Minister's former chief adviser, and is said to have wanted a "clean slate" by joining the union unit team.
He will be paid between £110,000 and £114,999 per year, while his special adviser Jack Sellers is on between £57,000 and £80,000 for his role which is split between the Unit and the Wales Office. The unit also employs two other people as policy advisers.
A separate FOI request also revealed that the Scotland Office's communications staff have tripled in number between 2011 and 2019, going from 6 to 17, while the department's overall staff numbers have risen by 43%, from 58 to 83, in the same period.
READ MORE: 'Union unit' to counter SNP's Scottish independence narrative
It comes after it emerged that applicants to one of four roles in the Cabinet office union directorate, responsible for maintaining the integrity of the union, did not have to have knowledge of Scottish, Northern Irish or Welsh policies to work there.
Knowledge of such areas was only listed as "desirable" on the adverts, prompting harsh criticism and ridicule from the SNP.
The party's Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Stewart Hosie MP said the soaring costs on "anti-independence campaigning" were evidence that the Prime Minister was worried about the possibility of Scotland breaking away from the UK.
He said: "Boris Johnson is clearly in a panic about rising support for independence - if he is spending millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on political campaigning.
"Despite what they claim in public, the Tories know there will be an independence referendum if the people of Scotland vote for one in May - that's democracy.
"But the Tories are completely clueless if they arrogantly think a No campaign run by Vote Leave Brexiteers in Westminster, with no understanding of Scotland, will persuade anyone.
"People in Scotland have the right to decide their own future. The issue at the election in May will be this: who has the right to decide what sort of country we should be after the pandemic – the people of Scotland or Boris Johnson?
“Scotland’s future should be in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s."
READ MORE: Disunity in No 10's Union Unit as its head departs Downing St, say Whitehall sources
Asked why the Government was recruiting staff for the Union Unit, the PM’s spokesman said: “It is a key focus of Government to ensure we deliver for people across the UK and in the devolved administrations; that includes tackling the pandemic, getting vaccines out and supporting lives and livelihoods. That’s our priority and it will continue to be so.”
Asked if the move to get more staff was a sign the Government was panicking about the future of the Union, he replied: “No. As I say it remains our focus to ensure we deliver for people across the UK and that’s what the Union Directorate or the Union Unit will allow us to do.”
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