I AM frightened by your report “Scotland’s civil servants furious after UK axes EU meetings”, August 31). Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has barred Scottish civil servants from going to EU meetings in Brussels from September – ie this month! The meetings concerned are about fishing, agriculture, the environment, forestry and animal welfare. These are all devolved matters, and Scottish civil servants are well versed in the subjects; they are legally bound to attend.

Mr Barclay did not inform the Scottish Government or the civil service hierarchy, just published the news in the newspapers.

This, running in tandem with the proroguing of parliament, shows a hard anti-democratic approach; with regard to the latter I am surprised that Her Majesty agreed – not even meeting the Prime Minister, but just being handed a missive by Odd Job, aka Jacob Rees-Mogg.

On another tack, the retired leader of the Scottish Tories, Ruth Davidson, is credited with getting rid of the Tory toxicity; this is now seen to be false.

Jim Lynch
Edinburgh