A SCOTTISH MP is heading a new group attempting to bolster the Union which has been set up within the 1922 group of Tory backbenchers.
Andrew Bowie, who represents West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, has announced he will chair the new Conservative backbench Union Committee, with Welsh Tory MP Robin Millar appointed as vice-chair.
Both are also key members of the Conservative Union Research Unit (CURU), a lobby group for the Union which is aiming to influence government and the Conservative Party.
The emergence of the CURU group was reported in July last year, as the Conservative Union Research Group.
It was said that it aimed to emulate the success of pro-Brexit hardliners in the European Research Group, who helped force Theresa May from office.
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Bowie, who stepped down as vice-chair of the party in the wake of the sleaze scandal engulfing Boris Johnson, announced the existence of the new group last week when he tweeted: “Absolutely delighted to be the chairman of the new Conservative Back Bench ‘Union Committee’ alongside fellow @ConservativeURU member, @RobinMillarMP, who is now vice chair.
“Look forward to developing policy ideas and challenging ideas for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
The CURU also tweeted congratulations to Bowie as the chairman of “a new 1922 Group ‘Union Committee’ supporting the work of the territorial select committees”.
It added CURU chairman Robin Millar (below) had met with him to “discuss priorities and links to the ongoing work of the CURU”.
The 1922 Committee allows less senior members of the Conservatives to air concerns, report on constituency work and co-ordinate legislative agendas.
Cabinet ministers are not allowed to be formal members and it holds regular meetings with the party leader to give updates on opinions within the party.
It has been in the headlines recently for its role in organising ballots on leadership challenges – with a number of Tory MPs submitting formal letters calling for Boris Johnson to resign in the wake of the Downing Street lockdown parties scandal.
The new committee is the latest in a series of Tory projects launched in an attempt to bolster the Union with the prospect of a second independence referendum on the horizon.
Boris Johnson previously set up a dedicated “Union Unit” to help develop policies to save the UK and ensure government departments understand the impact of policies on devolution.
But last year the beleaguered task force had lost two bosses in the space of two weeks – with former Conservative MP Luke Graham relieved of his duties following a “brutal” row with Johnson on his return from a highly criticised trip to Scotland.
Graham’s replacement, former Vote Leave veteran Oliver Lewis, stepped down from his new role just two weeks later.
It then emerged a new Cabinet committee would be created in its place, chaired by the Prime Minister and including Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove.
SNP constitution spokesperson Tommy Sheppard said: “It seems the Tories learned nothing from their last failed Union Unit, which collapsed in a matter of weeks and managed to deliver only a sacking and a resignation – all at cost to the taxpayer.
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“The reality is that no amount of ‘Union Units’ can take away from the fact that the Tories are finding it difficult to make credible arguments as to why Scotland shouldn’t have the full powers of independence.
“Scotland cannot keep waiting for Westminster to act on the big issues affecting our country and the world.
“And the public shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the Tories’ futile endeavours – just as they are doing already with the defunct Scotland Office.
“The people of Scotland have made it clear that they want the right to choose their own future – it’s time for the Tories to respect that and stop standing in the way of democracy.”
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