RUTH Davidson has come under fire for claiming the UK should become less London-centric less than a week after her MSPs backed the Brexit Bill and its controversial clause which would see a raft of devolved powers come under Westminster control.

The Scottish Conservative leader is to call for major institutions – such as the British Museum – to consider setting up elsewhere in Britain as well as for most fishing infrastructure to be moved to Scotland.

In a speech on the union at the Policy Exchange in London today she will urge the UK Government to “develop better practices” to recognise the reality of devolution and build relationships with Edinburgh.

But ahead of the address, the SNP MSP Ivan McKee said it was the Tory Government at Westminster that called the shots and Davidson exerted little influence.

“Ruth Davidson used to talk a lot about standing up for Scotland’s interests – but when push comes to shove, at every opportunity she has let her Westminster bosses call the shots,” he said.

He underlined that while Tory MSPs backed centralising more powers at Westminster, the SNP would be unveiling the economic opportunities independence offers when it publishes a key report.

“Just last week, the Tories were the only party in the Scottish Parliament who failed to stand up against the UK Government’s attempted power grab,” he said.

“And while the anti-independence politicians are reduced to arguing with each other about how to mitigate the immense economic damage that Brexit will cause, independence supporters are having a debate about the immense economic opportunities and hope that independence offers. The contrast could not be starker.”

Writing in the Financial Times, she said: “We ... need to spread the benefits of the union fairly and equally around the nation. The UK is still too London-centric.

“As befits one of the world’s great cities, the capital gobbles up talent, money and status.

“It is government’s job to ensure that more of this ends up in the other great British metropolitan areas in our regions and in our nations.

“The Conservative government in Westminster is already delivering on its manifesto promise to move Channel 4 out of London. But this should be just the start.

“More cultural institutions – like the British Museum – should set up second homes outside the capital. More government posts should be based in other parts of the UK. With Brexit, we have an opportunity to ensure the powers that return to these shores are based nearer the communities they serve.

“Most of the UK’s fish, for example, are caught in waters off Scotland. So I believe most of the UK’s fishing infrastructure should be based north of the border.”

Davidson insisted it was “not an anti-London argument”, pointing to the success of the 2012 Olympics in “allowing Britons to feel they had a stake in their country”.

“That should be our goal so people, including those who currently support independence in Scotland, feel the UK is theirs too,” she said.