PROVOCATIVE comments made by Tory peer Lord Frost this week calling on Westminster to roll back devolution were met with fury across the political spectrum – including many of his party colleagues.

But while Scottish Conservative MSPs were quick to distance themselves from his remarks many fear Lord Frost’s feelings are shared by some at the top of the Conservative Party.

Here’s a few reasons why…

UK vetoes Scottish gender reforms

The most recent – and some would argue the most glaring – example of the Tories’ contempt for devolution was the move to block Scotland’s gender recognition reforms.

While UK Government has held the power to issue a Section 35 order since the reconvention of the Scottish Parliament, the architects of devolution only ever intended it to be used as a last resort.

But a recent statement by the Scottish Government suggested that was not the case when Westminster vetoed the Gender Recognition Bill, which still sits in legal limbo despite being passed by the Scottish Parliament in December.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville claimed Westminster officials repeatedly failed to explore avenues which would have prevented the extraordinary move.

‘Power grab’ rules

The Internal Market Act is a “power grab” and an attack on devolution, according to its critics.

A fairly technical piece of post-Brexit legislation, SNP lawmakers and others have repeatedly warned the Act is the thin end of the wedge when it comes to rolling back the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

It essentially forces authorities in devolved nations to allow goods to be sold in the country even if they do not meet the standards set by the devolved parliament.

One crossbench peer admitted to initially feeling talk of a “power grab” was hyperbole before he read the legislation – going so far as to warn the law posed an existential threat to the Union.

Blocking children’s rights laws

The UK Government’s Section 35 order arguably didn’t come without precedent. It had taken the Scottish Government to court over two bills which the Supreme Court found to have been outwith the powers of the parliament.

A bill to enshrine the UN charter on children’s rights and another which would have enshrined the independence of local government on the statute books were both struck down after a legal challenge from London in 2021.

Then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the ruling highlighted the need for independence because it proved the Scottish Parliament did not have the power to “fully protect children’s rights, even in devolved areas”.

Boris Johnson ‘wants to axe Holyrood’

The former Prime Minister was said to want to get rid of the Scottish Parliament altogether – with former top aide Dominic Cummings describing him as an “unthinking Unionist”.

The Covid-rule breaker told The National in 2021 that Johnson would have liked to roll back devolution but would not “dare” to actually do it.

He said: “He's an unthinkign [sic] unionist. Thinks devolution/Scottish parliament was a disaster, wd like to reverse it but wont dare try...”