It didn’t take long. In fact, the tweet from Nicola Sturgeon appeared soon after Alistair Carmichael had started speaking this morning.
Smith clauses publication welcome – but doesn’t include a general power to create new benefits in devolved areas as was promised 1/2…
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 22, 2015
2/2…and gives UKG effective veto over changes to universal credit, including bedroom tax. @scotgov will work to secure improvements
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 22, 2015
The Scottish Secretary was in Edinburgh with fellow Scot Danny Alexander to launch the UK government’s blueprint for more devolution for Scotland.
Carmichael was just championing the arbitration process, which would sort out any disputes between Edinburgh and London in a ‘mature and collaborative way’ when Sturgeon’s critical tweet appeared. At that moment, any chance of a ‘mature and collaborative’ approach went out the window.
Sturgeon was indignant: the UK government’s plans amounted to an ‘effective veto,’ she claimed, which could prevent the Scottish government from abolishing the so-called bedroom tax.
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