THE Scottish Government has hit back at claims from Alister Jack that it had lost none of its powers and that the UK Government’s direct spending on projects in Scotland is “real devolution”.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak, in his Budget last week, increased the block grant to Holyrood, and said £170 million had been awarded directly to Scottish projects this year as part of the levelling up agenda.
The Scotland Secretary said there had been no change to devolution: “Since we left the EU they’ve been given more powers … the structural funds, the money we gave to the EU, they then spent – we are now in the place of the EU as the UK Government, it’s absolutely right that we spend the structural funds directly. I believe it’s real devolution.”
Jack’s remarks came in an interview on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, when he also said the UK Government was fully behind the Cambo oil field development, and defended the continued extraction of oil from the North Sea – despite COP26 being held in Glasgow.
READ MORE: Alister Jack says Holyrood has not lost 'a single power'
He added the UK Government was not saying “never” to a future independence referendum, but that support for it had to be maintained at 60% or above for a year before it would be countenanced.
“I think when you’ve got constitutional change, there’s such upheaval, it creates such uncertainty, it’s bad for inward investment, bad for business … we’re not saying never, what we’re saying is ‘we’re not having one now’.”
Jack said the UK was doing “an awful lot” to fight global warming, and added: “This is the moment where people have to show their commitment to resolve the planet’s threats, which are enormous.
“We should open the Cambo oil field, 100%. We need to keep backing oil and gas.
“We still need oil for our petrochemicals industry to make instruments for our NHS – that won’t stop … It’s foolish to think we can just run away from oil and gas, we can’t.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson told The National: “The centralised approach to levelling up means that money Scotland would have previously received under the seven-year EU Structural Fund programmes to spend according to its own needs will now be distributed annually according to a UK Government agenda.”
They said devolution had improved people’s lives in Scotland, delivering governments they had chosen.
“The UK Government is now putting that at risk by deciding itself how money is spent in areas of devolved responsibility when it should be for the Scottish Government to set its own priorities.
“This potentially leaves Scotland worse off, raises value-for-money concerns and is a significant threat to the devolution settlement.”
READ MORE: Autumn Budget: Fresh call for independence as Scots slam Rishi Sunak
The spokesperson added: “We are wholly committed to ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change by 2045, and to ensuring we do it in a way that is just and leaves no-one behind.
“Scotland’s current position on oil and gas is clear. Unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations.
“Our focus must now be on achieving the fastest possible just transition for the oil and gas sector – one that delivers jobs and economic benefit, and also ensures our energy security and meets our climate obligations.”
An SNP spokesperson added: “The people of Scotland have already decided that they want a choice over Scotland’s future when the Covid crisis is over – they did that in May’s election, which produced a clear parliamentary majority in support of holding a referendum.”
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