Smith Commission: Prime Minister responds

27 Nov 2014 01:33 PM

Extra devolution for Scotland "will make our United Kingdom stronger" says David Cameron.

The Smith Commission was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron in the wake of the vote against Scottish independence. Yesterday’s report sets out the agreement reached between all 5 of Scotland’s main political parties: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and the SNP.

The Prime Minister said:

“I’m delighted with what’s been announced, we’re keeping our promises and our United Kingdom together. I always said that a ‘no’ vote didn’t mean no change, indeed, we made a vow of further devolution to Scotland and today we show how we’re keeping that vow to keep that promise.

“The Scottish Parliament is going to have much more responsibility in terms of spending money but it will also need to be accountable for how it raises taxes to fund that spending and I think that’s a good thing. It also makes the case for English votes for English laws unanswerable and we’ll be taking action on that shortly.

“And I think taken together, this extra devolution for Scotland and dealing with all the issues in our United Kingdom, will make our United Kingdom stronger.”

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David Cameron confirmed that draft clauses to take forward Lord Smith’s recommendations into legislation will be produced in January. He also confirmed that proposals will be brought forward on English votes for English laws before Christmas.