Nationalist threats ‘ bluff and bluster’, says Mundell

DAVID Mundell has ruled out further creeping devolution following the Scotland Bill, warning the only alternative would be independence.

The Scottish Secretary also dismissed Nicola Sturgeon’s threat to torpedo the Bill as ‘bluff and bluster’ to keep SNP supporters happy.

The First Minister had warned that any cuts to the £30billion block grant, as a result of Holyrood gaining control of income tax and welfare, must not leave Scotland worse off.

But Mr Mundell scoffed at suggestions she would give up control of billions of pounds in income tax, by defeating the Bill, which he predicted would be ‘game changing’ for politics in Scotland.

In a speech at Edinburgh University’s Old College yesterday, he said: ‘What the people of Scotland want, and what the people of Scotland have said they want, is a powerful devolved parliament as part of the United Kingdom.

‘We’ve come up – through the Smith Commission process that involved all the political parties, including the SNP – with a package of measures which I believe delivers that.

‘I think that’s a package of measures that will serve Scotland well.’

He dismissed demands from his former colleague Alun Evans, who was director of the Scotland Office, for full fiscal autonomy – control of all taxes and spending – on Wednesday.

Mr Mundell said: ‘ There’s been arguments on individual changes, including full fiscal autonomy, as the Bill passed through parliament. I’m not persuaded by any of those arguments. But I do agree with the point where we’re not in a place where we would have a Scotland Bill 2017, a Scotland Bill 2018 or a Scotland Bill 2019.

‘We’ve reached the point where I believe we have a stable, devolved settlement to which the alternative is independence.’

Asked what he thought about Miss Sturgeon’s threat to torpedo the Bill, he added: ‘I think it’s a message to their own supporters. I don’t think that they would set aside the possibility of raising £11billion in income tax revenue, or £1billion in VAT receipts, £2.5billion of welfare responsibilities. It’s bluff and bluster.

‘I think that message is for SNP supporters and there is absolutely no prospect that it will be done.’

Whitehall officials are calculating how much should be cut from block grant, as a result of Holyrood raising more of its own cash.

A spokesman for Finance Secretary John Swinney said: ‘Our message to the UK Government is clear – we will not support any proposals which would leave Scotland worse off financially. The people of Scotland would not expect the Scottish Government to agree to anything which damaged our budget, and we will not do so.’

He added that in terms of the powers being delivered, fewer than one in ten people in Scotland believes the pre-referendum ‘Vow’ of greater devolution i s being fulfilled – and even its key architect, Gordon Brown, says the Tories are reneging on it.

‘That is only likely to see support for independence rise even further from its increase in recent polls,’ he said.