The SNP will today attempt to change draft UK Government legislation exonerating wrongfully convicted subpostmasters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to include Scotland. 

They have accused ministers in Whitehall of "cynically politicising" the Horizon IT scandal and warned that without a four-nation approach, any financial redress for Scots could be “significantly delayed.”

But other political parties have criticised the SNP for asking ministers in Whitehall to effectively "override devolution" by demanding they legislate in a devolved area. 

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf slams UK Government decision on Horizon scandal law

There have been more than 900 convictions linked to the software, including around 60 in Scotland.

The new legislation - being debated in the Commons this afternoon - will overturn convictions of theft, fraud, false accounting, money laundering and any linked offences handed down in connection with prosecutions in England and Wales brought between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018.

Last week, the draft Bill was amended to cover Northern Ireland.

First Minister Humza Yousaf has repeatedly said his preference is to pass a Legislative Consent Motion to allow the UK Government's legal fix to apply north of the border.

Ministers in London have been equally clear that as justice is devolved and as prosecutions were undertaken in a completely separate system it is for ministers in Edinburgh to come up with their own solution.

There are also splits in the Scottish Government. Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has said that there can be no quick solution for the Scottish victims and that it was “imperative that due process is followed.”

She said the “right process” for people to clear their names was through the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) and the High Court of Appeal.

Ahead of today's debate in the Commons, Marion Fellows, the SNP's MP in Motherwell and Wishaw, who has long campaigned on the Post Office scandal, said: “By refusing to adopt a four-nations approach, the UK government is cynically politicising an issue on which we should all be united in our efforts to secure exoneration and full financial redress for victims of this scandal.

“Their u-turn on the inclusion of Northern Ireland to the bill shows they can include Scotland but are simply choosing not to. They should back our amendments that would change this."

Ms Fellows said the “responsibility to fix this injustice falls squarely at the door of Westminster.”

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf cannot dodge Scotland's part in the Post Office scandal

Mr Yousaf has previously said the Scottish Government is working on its own legislation if the UK Government does not extend their Bill.

However, Scottish Labour MSP Michael Marra has pledged to bring forward a members bill on the issue “if the SNP doesn’t act with the urgency needed.”

He said “Responsibility for dealing with this scandal lies squarely with the Scottish Government, but even after years of inaction the SNP still has no clear plan to deliver its own legislation.

“It is shameful that the SNP is attempting to override devolution and pass the buck for this scandal on to the UK government.

“We need urgent action to overturn these convictions and address this monumental injustice.”

The Department for Business and Trade has been approached for comment.