BORIS Johnson’s self-appointed “Minister for the Union” title comes with no responsibilities attached, according to the UK Government’s own website.
The Prime Minister gave himself the role when he was elected Tory leader last summer, but more than 12 months on the Government has still not listed a single responsibility in his brief on its website.
On the gov.uk site all Cabinet positions are listed, along with a description of the person in the role and the responsibilities they hold. On the Minister for the Union page, the responsibilities section has nothing listed at all.
Under the “announcements” section, which typically features all press releases a minister is involved in, there is one single story listed. It related to the Prime Minister’s July trip to Orkney and Moray.
SNP MSP George Adam was not shocked by the revelation.
"Hardly surprising when you consider that Boris Johnson shirks responsibility at every given opportunity," he told The National.
According to a 2019 breakdown of UK Government departmental spending, £10 million has been put towards “supporting the work of the Prime Minister as the Minister for the Union” – but it is still not clear what this "work" involves.
Part of the Cabinet Office’s remit involves maintaining the integrity of the Union, something which minister Michael Gove has pursued more visibly in recent months.
READ MORE: Johnson 'told minister for the Union title is not enough' in devolution review
Back in July, the Dunlop Review was leaked. The review was launched by former PM Theresa May before she left office and aimed to “strengthen the working of the Union”.
It has yet to be published officially, but it was reported that the review included more than 40 recommendations aimed at improving relations between the four nations.
A Westminster source said that the Prime Minister’s self-appointed Minister for the Union title is not sufficient, and the report calls for an “operational arm” to oversee Union relations.
Lord Dunlop would not comment on Johnson’s lack of responsibilities as Minister for the Union as the document has not yet been published.
Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel