Senior Scots Tory moots plan to create 'federal' UK

Published on Wednesday 31 October 2007 00:57

MURDO Fraser, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, has broken ranks with the party's leadership in London to propose a "federal" solution to the UK's constitutional problems.

Writing in The Scotsman today, Mr Fraser argues that the constitution is a "mess" and the Conservatives have a duty to try to protect the integrity of the United Kingdom.

To do this, Mr Fraser says the party has to examine radical solutions, and one of these is a federal UK, with each of the constituent parts having its own parliament with its own powers, and the House of Lords acting as a "pan-UK senate".

The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife stresses that the money for the Scottish Government's policies comes from a finite Scottish block grant, and every spending commitment in one area has to be paid for by cuts in others.

He writes: "Perhaps the end point will be a federal, or quasi-federal, United Kingdom, with each component nation having greater self-government than is currently the case. A reformed House of Lords might act as a pan-UK 'senate' binding the UK together."

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