Row brewing over Alexander ambition for Holyrood power

Published on Tuesday 12 February 2008 09:36

SCOTTISH Labour leader Wendy Alexander today appeared to be on a collision course with her Westminster colleagues after a Scotland Office minister spoke out against the creation of more powers for Holyrood.

David Cairns said he did not believe Labour had lost last year's election to the SNP because people were crying out for fresh powers to be handed over to the Scottish Parliament – and he dismissed calls for more tax powers for Holyrood as a concern of the "McChattering classes".

His comments came as Ms Alexander continues to pursue plans for a cross-party Scottish Constitutional Commission to look at the question of further devolution.

Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory leaders are co-operating on the scheme, which would come up with proposals to give the parliament more powers as an alternative strategy to the SNP's aim of independence.

Ms Alexander yesterday denied weekend reports that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was seizing control of the initiative and insisting that it would be run from Westminster.

But today's comments from Mr Cairns reveal the level of scepticism within the Labour Party at UK level on the question of extending Holyrood's powers.

Mr Cairns said that 11 years on from the Scottish Parliament referendum, there was a need to refresh the notion of devolution.

"There is an argument for reclaiming devolution at the heart of what government does," he said.

But he also added: "I'm not convinced that the reason why we lost the election was because the Scottish people were crying out for more powers for the Scottish Parliament and they had a notion Labour was against this, so they delivered a one-seat majority to the SNP."

He said the UK Government had already given more powers to Holyrood since the parliament was established in 1999.

Mr Cairns cited transport as an example, and he made clear his opposition to more tax powers being transferred.

He said: "The Government's position is that we think the current fiscal arrangements benefit Scotland.

"There are stable, transparent increases in public spending in Scotland.

"There is no case for the massive restructuring of that. In any case, the Scottish Parliament has powers to levy additional taxes if they think that's what they need, and they haven't used them."

Mr Cairns claimed that support for independence was "going backwards".

He argued the election results last May showed Scottish voters had become "bored and fed up" with Labour.

He said: "The issues coming up to me were the performance of the NHS, education, antisocial behaviour. The issues of us not being Scottish enough or more powers to the Scottish Parliament simply did not resonate."