SNP minister Angus Robertson claims UK Cabinet members ‘not interested’ in good relations and often skip meetings amid Brexit blame

The senior SNP minister also suggested Brexit had left relations in tatters.

Senior SNP minister Angus Robertson has accused his UK counterparts of not being “interested” in having good inter-governmental relations with the Scottish Government.

The Scottish constitution, external affairs and culture secretary claimed UK government officials frequently cancelled planned meetings or skipped them entirely. Appearing before Westminster’s Scottish affairs committee on Monday, the Edinburgh Central MSP suggested meetings had been sought with ministers visiting Scotland, only to be refused.

Mr Robertson said: “I could evidence you chapter and verse about meetings that are not attended, meetings that are cancelled. Senior ministers, I don't think, are not interested in having good inter-governmental relations, because if they were, they'd show up. More often than not, letters requesting meetings weren’t even replied to.

SNP minister Angus Robertson has said intergovernmental relations with his UK counterparts have got worse since Brexit. Picture: PA

“Unfortunately [there are] too many examples of even UK Cabinet ministers coming here. One that sticks in my mind is Jacob Rees-Mogg, who came all the way to Edinburgh and wasn't prepared to meet in person.

“We had another Cabinet minister here last week, Steve Barclay, and he didn't have any time even though that meeting was asked for. I am more than content to meet with colleagues”.

Mr Robertson claimed this frustration wasn’t just felt in Holyrood, but also by Welsh government officials.

He said: “It’s not just the Scottish Government. If you had any of my Welsh colleagues here, they would be saying exactly the same things to you, because we have the same views.

Angus Robertson accused UK ministers of ignoring requests to meet.

“It is reflective of a view in Whitehall that the devolved administrations are to be managed or put in their place. Much has been written about a debate in the UK government about what's called muscular unionism, or taking a more co-operative approach to things. You can definitely see how there's a fluctuation in that mindset. The UK government does not take intergovernmental relations seriously”.

In his opening statement, Mr Robertson suggested relations between the two administrations had been better before Brexit, but now devolution was “under threat”.

He said: “While there are good examples of collaboration, the simple answer is the actions of the UK government, since 2016 especially, have caused significant damage to the devolution settlement.

“It's not always been so. Government relations before Brexit were underpinned by a sense of understanding, where successive UK governments generally and rightly understood that devolved matters were the responsibility of devolved institutions, operating under the common framework operating under EU structures and EU law.

“The position had deteriorated badly since 2016 as a consequence of Brexit, so much so that the very existence of a devolved government is under threat, as never before.

“This threat is not confined to Scottish devolution. The constitutional commission of Wales concluded that, and I quote, 'the current settlement cannot be taken for granted and is at risk of attrition if steps are not taken to secure it. Without urgent action, there will be no settlement to protect’.

“Since 2016 we have seen an increasingly interventionist approach into devolved policy matters, and an erosion of the protections provided to devolved institutions.

"Despite all of this I want to stress the importance of good government relations. We want the best possible outcomes for Scotland, working with partners across these islands, including the UK government.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “Citizens rightly want their governments working together to deliver for them and that is why the UK Government is committed to close intergovernmental working. Both ministers and officials meet regularly with counterparts.

“In 2023, there were over 200 ministerial meetings between the UK and devolved governments, addressing key issues, including tackling cost of living pressures, improving NHS waiting lists, and delivering for people across the UK through the freeport and investment zone programme."