Critics of Scottish Government independence spending trying to 'shut down' debate, says Humza Yousaf

The First Minister said it is ‘perfectly within our jurisdiction’ for civil servants to work on independence case

Critics who want to stop the Scottish Government spending money on independence are trying to “shut down” debate, Humza Yousaf has said.

The First Minister insisted it is “perfectly within our jurisdiction” for civil servants in Scotland to work on advancing the case for leaving the UK.

It comes after it emerged Scottish Government spending on independence is being probed. Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, said civil servants in Scotland could be issued with new guidance “within weeks” after concerns were raised about officials supporting the work of Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish independence minister.

Humza Yousaf

Labour peer Lord George Foulkes has been pursuing the issue in the House of Lords, and has raised the prospect of sanctions on Scottish ministers. He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme the UK was "never meant to be a union of equal partners", adding: “That is a myth put around by the SNP.”

He said: "To call it equal is not the right word. They are different. They have different responsibilities."

Mr Yousaf is due to launch the fifth paper in the Scottish Government’s independence prospectus series, Building a New Scotland, on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists in Cockenzie in East Lothian, he said there are “really good working relationships” between civil servants in Scotland and their UK counterparts, adding: "What we won’t countenance and stand for is any of the Westminster establishment, be it the UK Government or indeed those in the House of Lords, trying to curb the work that we are democratically elected to do.”

He said the Scottish Government works within “clear parameters” adding: “The work that we’re doing in relation to the Building a New Scotland series, the papers that we're launching…are well within the scope of work that we are able to do.

"What I would say to those UK parties, be it Scottish Labour, be it the Conservatives, is what have they got to fear from us making the positive case? This, to me, is a demonstration of just how weak their case is, if they’re trying to shut down what we have been democratically elected to do. And I thought Lord George Foulkes let the cat out the bag, he said the quiet bit out loud, when he said Scotland is not part of a union of equals, despite everything those parties have told us in the past.”

Mr Yousaf said the Scottish Government has advice on what its civil servants can and cannot do, and the independence papers are “perfectly within our jurisdiction”.

He said: "I believe that we’ve got to increase the political support in order to get a referendum. And the way you increase that political support is making the argument for independence, and that’s why the series of papers is being launched.

"Because we’re very confident in our argument. We think we have the winning argument. Now, there’s plenty of other people on the other side of that debate who believe we don’t have the winning argument.

"What I would say to them is, instead of trying to shut us down, instead of trying to stop us from doing the work we’re wanting to do, bring your arguments forward. Let’s have that discussion, that debate around the merits of independence. Instead of trying to shut us down, let’s have a free, frank and open discussion.”

He added: “Instead of trying to shut us down, instead of trying to shut down the debate or the argument, get on with it – make your case.”

Asked how many civil servants had worked on the latest independence paper, Mr Yousaf was unable to say.