UK faces break-up without major change, says leading Tory MSP

A leading Scots Tory MSP has called for an overhaul of the UK constitutional set-up, which would see the House of Lords abolished and a quasifederal state established.

Murdo Fraser has warned in a new report that without change, support for separatism will be “inflamed” in different parts of the UK, including Scotland.

Plans to repatriate a tranche of new powers from the EU back to Scotland after Brexit – through Common Frameworks – have also come under fire from Mr Fraser, the Tory finance spokesman at Holyrood. The proposals are contained in a report the MSP has authored for Conservative think tank Bright Blue Scotland.

“Our departure from the EU will require new processes and structures to be created within the United Kingdom,” Mr Fraser said. “With nationalists in different parts of the United Kingdom seeking to use Brexit uncertainty for their own political ends, it is important that unionists have a coherent response. So it is time to reform our government structures to create a ‘quasi-federal’ United Kingdom.

“Introducing a Uk-wide senate delivers the long-awaited and overdue reform of the House of Lords, giving a better balance to the UK constitution and protecting the interests of the nations and regions furthest from London.”

His report calls for a new Statute or Charter of Union, which would see the creation of a quasi-federal state.

A new senate would replace the House of Lords, representing different parts of the UK, predominantly if not entirely elected.

There would also be a new UK council of ministers, which would also be set up to manage relationships with the devolved nations of the UK, scrapping the current joint ministerial committees.

A new English grand committee would be set up to ensure England as a whole is represented in the new council of ministers.

Nationalist MSP Tom Arthur saidsupportforindependence was on the rise because of the way Scotland’s interests had been ignored throughout the Brexit process.

“That trend is only set to increase because the UK Tory government has shown absolutely no sign it is prepared to listen to Scotland,” he said.

“Murdo Fraser’s comments show that the Scottish Tories are rattled. They are running scared of independence because they know that recent experience of a broken Westminster system will only lead more people to support Scotland taking its own decisions.” 0 Murdo Fraser revealed his plans for a ‘federal’ constitution to counter calls for independence from nationalists across the UK