With the downfall of Boris, will the SNP prioritise good policy over finding a new ‘bête noire’ ? – Christine Jardine

We need people in politics who are focussed on making a constructive difference, rather than ongoing confrontation and independence mission creep, writes Christine Jardine.

With all the hype and controversy around Boris Johnson’s exit from the political arena this week, it would be easy to be distracted from the things which still really matter to our future.

There can also be little doubt that for the SNP the downfall of their favourite ‘bête noire’ of British politics has offered welcome respite from their own troubles. It presents an opportunity to try to take attention away from their Holyrood failures by pointing accusatory fingers at Westminster and blaming some non-existent threat to devolution for their stagnation.

First Minister Humza Yousaf summed it up for me when he opted to answer a question about delays to the crucial, and long promised, dualling of the A9 from Inverness to Perth by talking about Boris Johnson.

First Minister Humza Yousaf pictured at the British-Irish Council summit meeting on Friday with Chief Minister of Guernsey Peter Ferbrache, First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Chief Minister of Jersey Kristina Moore, UK Levelling Up minister Michael Gove and Alfred Cannon, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man. Scotland needs to co-operate better with politicians across the UK to make real, constructive progress, writes Christine Jardine. PIC: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

It is no wonder the public often accuse politicians of avoiding answering the question.

And to read Angus Robertson’s baseless assertions of some plot to impose what he calls ‘direct Westminster rule by stealth” simply heaps frustration on frustration.

It is a situation not helped by the First Minister’s rejection of the UK Government’s stated willingness to work together constructively on a day-to-day basis at the British Irish Council on Friday.

Constitutional nit-picking will not solve the problem Scotland, our families and our businesses are facing.

For too long, Scottish politics has been dominated by flag waving rather than effective policy making.

And those which have made their way towards the statute books recently have seemed more geared towards that independence mission creep and constitutional confrontation than actually making a difference.

In his assertions this week, Angus Robertson highlights the Internal Market Act as a main bone of contention and indicative of this power creep since Brexit.

The main flaw in Mr Robertson’s claims is the fact that Brexit actually meant giving powers TO Holyrood that had been ceded to Brussels before devolution and were therefore new.

And having been part of the Scottish Affairs committee which heard evidence on plans for what became the Internal Markets Bill, I know the aim of that legislation to maintain a level playing field for businesses in the UK single market post Brexit.

Ironically, my own party’s objection to the bill was that it lacked a proper dispute resolution mechanism. This is something which could have avoided the grievance creation by the Nationalists and Greens with which we are now having to contend over the disastrous Deposit Return Scheme.

That too is, of course, regarded by Nationalists as evidence of this fabled attack on devolution.

In reality, most people accept that it was a good idea badly executed which created potentially expensive issues for some of Scotland’s most significant producers and employers.

In insisting that it did not include glass, the UK Government was simply listening to what industry was saying.

But of course that does not suit the ‘Westminster bad’ narrative which has been nurtured in Bute House for the past 16 years.

What a difference it could have made to all of us if our two Governments had worked together over that decade and a half and recognised that, in isolation, neither has the full raft of powers necessary but that together they could be a powerful force for progress and improvement.

Our new First Minister has made much of being the continuity candidate. Perhaps it would be more constructive if he recognised that the title is not a compliment and one he might best leave behind.