POLL: Should devolution powers be ‘reversed’ after Lord Frost comment?

Anas Sarwar outlines the ‘biggest scandal of devolution era’

Former Tory minister Lord Frost has said that the issues facing the Scottish National Party (SNP) have provided an opportunity for the UK to “review and roll back some currently devolved powers” which created the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments. His comments have sparked a backlash from the SNP and some Scottish Tories, but do you think devolved powers should be “reversed”? Vote in our poll.

Writing in his column for the Daily Telegraph, Lord Frost, who formerly served as the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, claimed that devolved powers in Scotland and Wales “has resulted only in the recreation of closed-shop fiefdoms”, adding that “it’s time to reverse the process”.

He wrote: “Devolution was designed in a different world – a world in which many powers theoretically devolved to Scotland were actually held at EU level and could not be exercised in practice. Brexit changed that.”

He continued: “Time to stop. Devolution was about enabling powers to be exercised closer to the people in a more practical and accountable way.

“Instead, it has resulted in the creation of closed-shop fiefdoms, effective one-party states, a tinpot amateurish one in Wales and a seriously dangerous one in Scotland.”

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Central Scotland MSP Stephen Kerr shared his thoughts on Twitter, writing: “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.”

Similarly, Scottish Tory MSP for mid-Scotland and Fife, Murdo Fraser Tweeted: “This is nonsense. Devolution has allowed us to shine a light on SNP failures. The @Conservatives will not be rolling it back.”

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.”

So what do YOU think? Should devolution powers be ‘reversed’? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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