28th November 2022: A Week in Parliament

Supreme Court Decision

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that even an advisory referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country is outside the competency of the Scottish Parliament when considering the 1998 Scotland Act. Some argue that the Union itself and other matters predate the 1998 Act which set up the new Scottish Parliament. However, the 1998 Act is the most recent law, so this has to be the dominant consideration. One good aspect of the judgement was that it was clear. The UK Government had argued it was too early to make a decision and that the court would require to wait until there was a bill for them to consider. A binding decision makes matters clear for all parties.

At the last Holyrood election, the SNP and Greens stood on a platform for holding another referendum. They won – the SNP got 62 out of 73 constituency seats, the equivalent of the Tories or Labour getting 552 seats out of 650 at Westminster! Pro-independence votes also had a majority in the list ballot as well. It is clear that the people voted for parties that offered a referendum and Westminster should work with the Scottish Government accordingly. It is absurd not to. The new stated position for people to have a vote on the principle of independence will be an election, likely the next general election. Democracy cannot be denied forever.

Michele Mone

The Guardian led a story based on internal HSBC documents that show she made an astonishing £29m profit from a company that she referred to Government for a PPE contract. The whole “VIP Lane” where Tory MPs and Lords were able to refer companies for contracts remains a bit of a mystery. Michele Mone has always denied having any links to PPE Medpro, and it is only the leaked documents that prove she was making money out of a company that she referred to the Government. It is absolutely stinking. Her husband actually made £65m profit before transferring £29m to Mone and her children. And as if it could not get any worse, the company failed to deliver the goods. The aprons they sourced did not meet the required specification. In short, a Tory peer has referred a brand new company with no track record in the procurement of PPE to Government. They have awarded a juicy contract and paid up front so absolutely no financial risk to the company. They have failed to deliver the goods – potentially putting NHS staff at risk due to the shortages of PPE – but Mone and her family have trousered £65m in personal profit. It makes me angry and should make many others angry too.

Small Business Saturday

This Saturday, December 3rd is “Small Business Saturday” so I would encourage as many people as possible to get out there for some early Christmas shopping and give our local retailers a boost. I appreciate the cost of living crisis will dictate spending power, but ultimately supporting local traders is what keeps our high streets going.