DEPUTY First Minister John Swinney has accused a ‘corrupt’ Westminster of undermining devolution and has called on Scots to ‘stand up and be counted’.

Addressing the SNP conference on Saturday, Mr Swinney told delegates that the conservatives have ‘re-written the definitions of cronyism and corruption’, and also suggested that Westminster is ‘rotten to the core’ in the wake of the sleaze scandal.

In a virtual speech to the conference, The Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, said: “All of us who care so deeply about the Scottish Parliament and its role in Scottish public life need to stand up and be counted before it is too late.

“We are now seeing a concerted attack on our Parliament, from the very people who fought tooth and nail against it being established in the first place.

“In a grotesque irony, the Tories are using something that the people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly against – Brexit – to undermine something they voted overwhelmingly for – the Scottish Parliament.

“Through the Internal Market Act, the Tories have given themselves unfettered power to decide the rules of the internal market – and to completely ignore the devolution settlement if they want to.”

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Claiming the Prime Minister wishes to reverse devolution, Mr Swinney added: “There will be no sudden big bang moment, Boris Johnson is not going to stand up and announce to the cheering Tory faithful that he is dismantling the devolution settlement – much as I am sure he would like to.

“But make no mistake – piece by piece, devolution is quietly being filleted, hollowed out from the inside by a Tory Party which has always opposed the idea of anything other than unfettered Westminster control on Scotland.”

Mr Swinney’s comments were dismissed by a UK Government spokeswoman who said: “This is simply nonsense.

“The Internal Market Bill ensures that vital trade can continue seamlessly between all four corners of the UK.

“Now more than ever, people in Scotland want to see the UK and Scottish governments working together to protect lives and livelihoods.

“The pandemic, and our collective response – from the furlough scheme to vaccine procurement and the backing of our military personnel – has shown that we are at our strongest when we work together.”