CLAIMS that Boris Johnson wants to “reverse” devolution lay bare the threat he and his party pose to the Scottish Parliament, according to the SNP.
Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s former chief adviser, told The National earlier today that Johnson is an “unthinking Unionist” who sees Holyrood and devolution in general as a “disaster”.
Last year, following Cummings’s departure from Number 10 in November, it was reported that Johnson described devolution as a “disaster” to a group of northern English MPs on a Zoom call.
The Prime Minister insisted he had not been quoted accurately, but Cummings indicated Johnson does indeed view devolution extremely negatively and would prefer the pre-1997 constitutional set-up.
Asked what Johnson really thinks about the Union, Cummings said: “He’s an unthinkign [sic] Unionist. Thinks devolution/Scottish parliament was a disaster, wd like to reverse it but wont dare try …”
Alba leader and former First Minister Alex Salmond said the comments prove the need for urgency on the issue of independence.
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie (above) said Cummings’s comment was unsurprising given the open attacks on devolution from Johnson’s government.
“I'm convinced that these stealth attempts to dismantle the devolution settlement will not prevent independence, but will instead bring more and more Scots to the conclusion that building a fairer and greener European country cannot happen within the UK,” he told The National.
The SNP’s Rona Mackay said if Cummings’s claims are true, they are “utterly devastating” for the Unionist cause.
“It lays bare the undeniable threat Boris Johnson and his Tories pose towards the very future of our democratically elected Scottish Parliament – his former right-hand man makes clear they would scrap Holyrood if they thought they could get away with it,” she commented.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson is an unthinking Unionist who wants to reverse devolution, Cummings says
"The Tory threat to Scotland's powers is already fully underway as Boris Johnson has been undermining the Scottish Parliament by stealth by grabbing powers through the Internal Market Bill and the Shared Prosperity Fund. The Tories are currently challenging the powers of Holyrood to protect the rights of children in the Supreme Court.
“The Tories always hated devolution and fought tooth and nail to stop the Scottish parliament being established in the first place.
"There is sustained support for our Scottish Parliament and these revelations prove beyond all doubt that we cannot trust the Tories to protect the future of it. The only way to do so – and to protect Scotland from the Tories is by becoming an independent country and unlocking our full potential."
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