SNP says Cameron 'lost control' of Vow
- Published
Angus Robertson said the Vow had not been delivered
SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson has claimed the prime minister and Scottish secretary have "lost control" of the Scotland Bill process.
Mr Robertson has written to David Cameron outlining where he thinks the bill currently falls short of the Smith Commission agreement.
The letter comes after clashes during Prime Minister's Questions.
Mr Cameron responded to Mr Robertson saying all the promises made to the people of Scotland had been delivered.
The Scotland bill is the legislation drawn up to deliver the recommendations of the Smith Commission, which was set up after the No vote in the independence referendum last September.
The commission was intended to deliver the promises made in the Vow, a pledge made by the three main Unionist parties in the closing days of the independence referendum campaign, to give Scotland widespread new powers over tax and welfare.
In the House of Commons on Wednesday, the SNP MP said the Vow had not been delivered by the Tory government in Westminster.
The Vow was penned by the three main Unionist party leaders ahead of the referendum
He added that even former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown said delivery was "falling short".
Mr Cameron responded by saying that a Scotland Bill had been introduced which gave "unprecedented devolution on taxes" as well as increased powers over welfare.
The prime minister said the SNP should stop talking about processes and "start telling us what taxes you are going to put up, what welfare changes you are going to make".
In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Robertson says: "Within a matter of hours you then suggested that you would be laying an amendment to the Scotland Bill in contradiction to your comments in the House."
Meanwhile Scottish Secretary David Mundell said that the latest Scotland Bill, the second in three years, will be the last and will provide "a stable devolved settlement to which the alternative is independence".
Mr Robertson said: "Both the prime minister and the Scottish secretary have their heads buried in the sand on this issue and have now lost control of the bill process.
"First we have the prime minister announce that there will be amendments to the Scotland Bill, and simultaneously have David Mundell saying that it is this or independence."
He added: "On issues of welfare, employment and the constitution, the Scotland Bill does not deliver on what was promised in the Vow or what the people of Scotland voted for at the ballot box in May."
"The situation that we are now in is one where David Cameron thinks that he and his one Tory MP in Scotland can dictate to everyone else what is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and what is not - the prime minister should just do what he promised and deliver the Smith Commission package in full."