Sturgeon accused of ‘twiddling her thumbs’

Leader under fire for no new legislation being put to parliament

The SNP have come under attack for not putting forward any new legislation to Parliament since winning their third term in office.

Maurice Golden, for the Scottish Conservatives, accused Nicola Sturgeon of “twiddling her thumbs” in the six months since securing her personal mandate in May’s Holyrood elections.

That comment drew the wrath of the Nationalists, who said the SNP have been working hard to protect Scotland against a crippling Tory Brexit.

Mr Golden, who is the Scottish Conservatives’ deputy chief whip, said that nearly six months on from the Scottish Parliament vote not a single bill had been released for scrutiny by the SNP administration.

Scottish Conservative analysis revealed that after winning in 2007 and 2011, SNP minister had put at least three bills before MSPs by the start of November.

Mr Golden said: “We are now a 10th of the way through this session and we have still not had any legislation presented to Parliament.

“Even by the SNP’s own standards, it is a woeful start to a new administration.

“It is a clear hallmark of a Government that has run out of ideas.

“The First Minister is twiddling her thumbs and focusing all her attention on a referendum on independence that the majority don’t want.

“The SNP desperately need to start getting on with the day job of governing Scotland rather than continuing to campaign for an unpopular and divisive second referendum.”

Ms Sturgeon set out her Programme for Government 2016-17 last month, which included plans for 14 bills.

The SNP leader has staked her reputation on the closing the attainment gap, with plans to do so included within the Child Poverty Bill.

She has also published draft legislation for staging a second independence referendum, which is now being consulted on.

Derek MacKay, the SNP MSP and finance secretary, said the party is “doing everything we can to protect Scotland from the right-wing hard Tory Brexit which will cost 80,000 Scottish jobs”.

He added: “We’ve begun to implement over 60 of our manifesto commitments while the Tories obsess about a damaging Brexit the people of Scotland did not vote for.”