The SNP has confirmed there are no plans to restrict Sunday trading laws in Scotland – despite its MPs blocking identical proposals in Westminster.
The Nationalist group in London said it wanted to make sure big businesses could only stay open for six hours on a Sunday in England in Wales, meaning the UK Government had to rethink its plans to devolve that decision to local councils.
This is despite the fact, in Scotland, the same businesses are allowed to operate more-or-less as they do during the week.
Given the SNP’s objections to the change in England, the Scottish Conservatives asked if there were plans to mirror that policy north of the border.
However, in a written response to chief whip John Lamont, the Scottish Government stated: “There are no plans to review Sunday trading laws.”
It means the SNP group in Westminster has pursued a completely opposite policy from MSPs in Holyrood, suggesting its main objective is to “create division”.
Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said:
“This is incredibly hypocritical behaviour from the SNP.
“It is quite clearly saying that big businesses in England should only be allowed to open for six hours, but in Scotland they can open for as long as they like.
“It’s proof that the SNP’s only objective is to be as disruptive as possible in Westminster.
“We saw it with the fox hunting legislation, and now we are seeing it with Sunday trading laws too.
“That’s not what the people of Scotland want from their MPs – they want to see politicians pursuing the interests of those in their constituency, not rabble-rousing in a bid to create division.
“It was quite right that George Osborne wanted to give these trading law powers to local authorities and give them the opportunity to follow Scotland’s lead in allowing businesses more flexibility for them and their customers.
“For the SNP to block this was just infantile.”
To read Scottish Conservative candidate Rachael Hamilton's letter regarding the SNP & their embarrassing block please click here.