Cameron unveils home rule for Scotland delivering pre-referendum devolution pledge

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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British Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled proposed legislation of transferring new powers over tax and spending to Scotland on Thursday, delivering on the pre-referendum pledge made to Scots.

The proposed legislation would enable the Scottish Parliament to raise the majority of its revenue, including increased powers over income tax. It would also give Scotland more control over welfare spending.

The plans are made through cross-party support and wouldn’t implement until after the general election in May regardless of the results.

Mr Cameron has said today in an address in Edinburgh: “The Scottish Parliament will have more control of its tax and spending” — strengthening Holyrood as “one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world”.

The step has been taken to dismiss the accusation to U.K. government from Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon for significantly “watering down” its promise to give new powers to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader has also indicated that the major proposals set by the Smith Commission on welfare, employment support, and borrowing do not go far enough as she said: “The legislation published today does not represent the views of the Scottish Government, but it does represent some progress.

“The support for unemployed people falls short of what Lord Smith recommended, with the provisions set out today narrowly focused on existing schemes.

“And the paper confirms that the Scottish Government will still have to work within the framework of austerity being imposed by the UK Government.

It also suggests that Scotland’s capital grant could be replaced by borrowing powers and not augmented by them as was clearly the intention of the Smith proposals.”

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