Boris Johnson ally Lord Frost calls for downgrading of Holyrood

"We, the Conservative Party and the Conservative Government, have allowed this to happen," he wrote.

"It's time to fix it. Ministers should make clear that, if re-elected, they will review and roll back some currently devolved powers.

"In particular, Scotland does not need to be an independent actor on the world stage; it should not be able to legislate to disrupt free trade within the UK; and it does not need to have most tax raising powers currently available to it.

READ MORE: PMQs: Sunak under fire over bid to curb SNP Government's overseas work

"These powers are embryonic, independent government powers.

"They aren't necessary to run an effective local administration, which is what devolution should be about.

"I hope, of course, that Labour might do likewise and drop its sneaking admiration for socialism in one (devolved) nation, but I am not holding my breath."

His comments were attacked by the SNP, and by some Scottish Tories.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, pictured below, said Lord Frost's proposals show the "Tory mask has slipped".

He added: "It's clear Westminster's repeated attacks on Scotland are a deliberate, co-ordinated attempt to reverse devolution, roll-back the powers of the Scottish Parliament and force Scotland under Westminster control."

Scottish Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said on Twitter: "The Tories are already attacking and undermining Scottish devolution. Now their Brexit negotiator @DavidGHFrost says they should 'put it in reverse'."

Scottish Tory Murdo Fraser described the comments as "nonsense", adding on Twitter:

"Devolution has allowed us to shine a light on SNP failures. The @Conservatives will not be rolling it back."

Fellow Tory MSP Stephen Kerr tweeted: "Strongly disagree with this article.

"A poor Scottish Government isn't justification to roll back devolution, any more than issues at the UKGOV are justification for Scottish separation. Devolution works. It's the SNP that are failing."

Tory constitution spokesman Donald Cameron added: "What a load of baloney. Devolution hasn't failed and no Conservative should want to reverse it."

A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: "Lord Frost is a backbench peer and entitled to his personal views.

"Our view, shared by the UK party, is that the problem is not with devolution but with this divided and distracted SNP Government."

Lord Frost's intervention comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came under attack from the SNP in the Commons yesterday over his government's bid to curb Scottish ministers international work.

Earlier this month it emerged new foreign office guidelines said that there shoud be no direct contact to arrange meetings between Scottish ministers and officials, and overseas diplomats, and that an such arrangements should be made only with the say so of the UK government.

Lord Frost's intervention was seized on by the SNP in Holyrood today with former minister Fiona Hyslop asking Mr Yousaf for his response to the "attack on democracy".

The First Minister said: "Lord Frost, unelected Tory peer gave the game away, said the quiet bit out loud.

"He said what every single Scottish Conservative really thinks."

To uproar on the Tory benches, Mr Yousaf continued: "He said that no only must no more powers be devolved to Scotland, it is time to reverse that process.

"He said ministers should make it clear that if re-elected they will review and roll back some of the currently devolved powers.

"It is hardly a surprise that the party that didn't support the Scottish Parliament now wants to dismantle the Scottish Parliament."

In the Commons today, the SNP stepped up their attack over the matter describing the Foreign Secretary as “hyper insecure” for “frantically telling foreign governments that they should not engage with Scottish ministers without his permission”.

Stepping in for SNP Commons leader Deidre Brock, SNP spokesperson Brendan O’Hara told the Commons: “The hyper insecure Foreign Secretary is now frantically telling foreign governments that they should not engage with Scottish ministers without his or his department’s permission. Quite what has triggered this bizarre bout of ministerial paranoia in the foreign secretary is unclear.

“So, perhaps it would be very helpful for all of us if the Government were to make time to debate what it is exactly they fear from members of our democratically-elected parliament speaking to people outside of these islands, because surely talking to others, learning from each other’s experiences, sharing new ideas and understand difference is at the heart of all we are about.”

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt noted it has been “a very painful week” for the SNP, adding amid laughter from MPs: “For some time now, BBC Politics Scotland has resembled an episode of Taggart.”

She added: “He raises the matter of the Foreign Secretary’s concern that the SNP are spending so much time, effort, and money on matters which they do not have the competency in both senses of the word to do. And he asked me why the Foreign Secretary might be feeling that way. And I would just suggest to him, it might be his own views.”

Ms Mordaunt made the example of Mr O’Hara’s views on the Illegal Migration Bill insisting his arguments against it are “drawn from fantasy”.