A TORY peer sparked fury across Scottish politics today following his call for “failing devolution to be put in reverse.”

David Frost, who had led Brexit negotiations for the Tory government, attacked the devolution settlement across Britain in the Telegraph.

“Devolution was about enabling powers to be exercised closer to the people in a more practical and accountable way,” he wrote. 

“Instead it has resulted in the creation of closed-shop fiefdoms, effective one-party states, a tinpot amateurish one in Wales, and a seriously dangerous one in Scotland.”

He went on to say that Tories standing to re-enter government should commit to “review and roll-back some currently devolved powers.”

Lord Frost wrote: “Scotland does not need to be an independent actor on the world stage; it should not be able to legislate to disrupt free trade within the UK; and it does not need to have most tax-raising powers currently available to it.”

His comments have provoked ire across the political parties in Scotland however, not least from his own Tory Party.

Tory MSP, and former Scottish Leadership candidate, Murdo Fraser branded the comments “nonsense,” while his parliamentary colleague, Stephen Kerr, called Lord Frost’s column “baloney.”

He added: “Devolution hasn’t failed and no Conservative should want to reverse it.”

SNP’s Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn said: “The Tory mask has slipped.

“It’s clear Westminster’s repeated attacks on Scotland are a deliberate, co-ordinated attempt to reverse devolution, roll-back the powers of the Scottish Parliament and force Scotland under Westminster control.”

Fresh from a congress, which renewed the STUC’s call for further devolution in the shape of employment law, general secretary Roz Foyer launched a withering attack on the Lord Frost’s proposal.

“There will be an awful lot of whiplash across the Tory Party today as they desperately try to grab the mask that has just slipped from Lord Frost,” she said.

“The immediate distancing from his Scottish colleagues show how badly he’s gave the game away.

“Scotland needs more devolution, not less.

“We need to ensure employment and further tax and revenue raising powers are devolved, giving the workers of Scotland more power, more autonomy, and more opportunities to improve their working lives.

“We need to realise the full powers of our Parliament and no unelected and dangerously ignorant Tory peer will tell us otherwise.”