Salmond in fresh call for general election

Published on Thursday 21 May 2009 15:07

First Minister Alex Salmond today repeated calls for a General Election to take place.

He spoke after Tory leader Annabel Goldie said that an early election would be the "best way to start restoring trust in our politics".

In recent weeks Westminster has been thrown into turmoil by a series of revelations about MPs' expenses.

In the wake of that the Conservative's UK leader David Cameron has been calling for an election.

Today Miss Goldie said Britain should go to the polls.

She said: "The best way to nurture a strong relationship between our two governments and our two parliaments, the best way to build that mutual respect and responsibility, and the best way to start restoring trust in our politics is to have a General election to give people a say and let them vote for change."

Mr Salmond backed the election call, stating: "At last something I can agree with. Let's have a General Election and vote for real change in terms of the representation from Scotland in Westminster."

Miss Goldie made the election call during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament.

She also referred to Mr Cameron's pledge that if he is elected prime Minister he would treat Scotland "with respect and with responsibility".

The Tory added that if Mr Cameron succeeded Gordon Brown as Prime Minister he would "offer to appear before MSPs in this Parliament to answer any questions on any subject".

And she challenged Mr Salmond – who she branded "a separatist party leader with a wrecking agenda" – to do the same at Westminster.

Miss Goldie said: "Can the First Minister demonstrate the same respect and responsibility? Is he big enough to put aside his gripe and grievance politics for the good of Scotland?

"Will he therefore match David Cameron's pledge and offer himself for questioning before MPs at Westminster?"

The First Minister told her: "Scottish ministers have already put themselves before Westminster committees and I'll have no difficulty appearing before a Westminster committee."

But he claimed the pledge from the Tories to treat Scotland with respect implied that they had not done so in the past, adding: "Maybe the secret of the long-term continuous decline in the Conservative Party's fortunes in Scotland is that for years they were viewed as an anti-Scottish party precisely because they didn't treat Scotland with respect."

And he said: "While new policies may come in floods these days I suspect that many, many people in Scotland will say 'the leopard doesn't change its spots and these are the same old anti-Scottish Tories'."