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Former First Minister Jack McConnell says Scotland Office should be axed

Former First Minister Jack McConnell (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Former First Minister Jack McConnell (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The former First Minister claims it would be “better for Britain and Scotland” if there was no longer a dedicated Scottish representative round the Cabinet table.

Instead, Lord McConnell wants a more senior “Secretary of State for the nations” role created and ranked alongside top jobs such as the Chancellor.

The former Labour leader also revealed he backed Tony Blair’s bid to scrap the Scottish Secretary role in 2003 when he was First Minister but it was later blocked in a cabinet row.

He said: “It’s time to change the way the UK is now governed to reflect the way everything has changed.

It would also reduce the waste of having three big government offices with nothing to do.

“And it would give Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland more influence around the Cabinet table because the post of Secretary of State for the nations would be more senior and would rank alongside Chancellor and Foreign Secretary.”

He added: “The Prime Minister is a voice for Scotland as well as for the whole of the UK. In my view the Prime Minister should speak for parts of the UK occasionally.

“For example if there was a major terrorist incident in Scotland of course the First Minister would take a close interest and comment on behalf of Scotland but so would the Prime Minister, you don’t need a Scottish Secretary to do that.”

And he lifted the lid on Tony Blair’s controversial attempt to scrap the role of Scottish Secretary in 2003.

He explained: “As First Minister at the time I enthusiastically supported the idea. But there was a dispute in Cabinet and it didn’t happen.”

It’s believed Gordon Brown resisted moves to kill off the job of Scottish Secretary.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord McConnell claimed that with the latest legislation extending devolution to Holyrood the post of Scottish Secretary had “become even more obsolete”.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “Labour has had decades to bring this idea forward in government, but has only bothered to do so in opposition.

“The Secretary of State for Scotland played a critical role in the delivery of the Scotland Bill, and more than proved his worth in that instance alone.”

A UK Government spokeswoman said: “There is a clear need for individual territorial offices and Secretaries of State.”


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