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Sunak's ‘sinister show trial’ plans for Scotland’s top civil servant slammed

RISHI SUNAK’S plans to compel Scotland’s top civil servant to make annual appearances before a Westminster committee would lead to  “sinister show trials,” the SNP said today.

Tory leadership candidate Mr Sunak said the permanent secretary should appear before the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee every year, in the same way that his Westminster government counterpart does.

The proposal forms part of the ex-chancellor’s plans to increase scrutiny of the Scottish government.

The announcement came as the Tories held a hustings meeting for members in Perth today, the only one north of the border.

Mr Sunak is trailling his rival for the top job, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in opinion polls of the party membership.

Tory activists have already begun to vote online in the election to the next party leader, who will automatically become prime minister.

Plans for Scotland were also unveiled by Ms Truss, including a pledge to give MSPs parliamentary privilege to protect them from legal action based on what they say at Holyrood.

However, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford accused both candidates of attacking devolution.

He said: “As for Sunak and Truss’s bids to outdo each other on trying to mount further attacks on devolution, it just shows how out of touch they are.

“Their plans to demand Scottish civil servants are forced to be grilled by Westminster committees amount to little more than sinister show trials but also speaks volumes about their lack of confidence in Tory MSPs to do the job of scrutinising government.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The single biggest driver of division in Scotland is the Tory Party in Westminster.

“The problem with the Tories is that they’re part of the problem, because so many people of Scotland do not want to be associated with a Tory government back in Westminster.”

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