FORMER Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has backed the UK’s plan to create powers over a UK “internal market”, claiming the Scottish Government is “cranking up the grievance machine” over the matter.

The Tory Government’s plan for an internal market after Brexit would force Scotland and Wales to accept any standards agreed in future trade deals.

Scotland’s Constitution Secretary Michael Russell has called the proposals the “biggest power grab yet” on Holyrood and ministers have urged the UK to abandon the plans.

In the Scottish Parliament Labour’s Brexit and constitution spokesman, along with the Greens and LibDems, criticised the UK’s proposals – leaving the Scottish Tories isolated in their support for the measures.

READ MORE: Brexit: Scottish Tories isolated as Holyrood fights power grab

Political experts have expressed concern over Tory ministers’ internal market plan given the limited time available to put legislation in place before the end of the Brexit transition period. Meanwhile, legal experts predict the row could end up in the UK Supreme Court.

Writing in the Standard, Davidson claimed Scottish Government concerns over the power grab are built on “less than firm footing”.

The MSP wrote: “The SNP has already called this a ‘power grab’ and is cranking up the grievance machine. Expect to see a number of flushed and furious SNP talking heads on politics programmes in the coming days, echoing their leader who has called it ‘a blatant move to erode the powers of the Scottish Parliament in key areas’.

“It’s quite the charge. Especially regarding a Bill designed to make sure no one part of the country has an unfair advantage over another. And, as much as the SNP enjoy guerrilla politics — finding traps and ambushes with which to snipe away at Westminster — I fear they’re on less than firm footing.”

READ MORE: PMQs: Boris Johnson claims Scots should be ‘celebrating’ power grab

Davidson went on to say while she has had many disagreements with Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the years, she feels “ensuring one part of the UK can’t give unfair help to a sector or company which will damage business elsewhere is a rational – indeed sensible” idea.

Tory MSP Donald Cameron shared out the column, claiming his former leader had got “to the nub of SNP hypocrisy”.

The Highlands and Islands representative posted: “The whole point of state aid rules is to guarantee equal treatment among nations within a union. True in the EU. True in the UK.”

But Russell quickly rejected the Conservatives’ claims. He responded: “The big difference of course is that in the EU the 27 members of the union agree to the rules and then exercise them together .

“The Tory proposal is to remove those powers from Scotland, Wales & NI and then impose decisions made by the UK alone.”

Today during Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson claimed Scots should be “celebrating” the power grab.

The Tory leader also argued the move would be “the single biggest act of devolution” in modern history.