Labour and SNP ex-first ministers unite in calls to strengthen Scottish Parliament

Three former first ministers of Scotland have united in their calls to reform the Scottish Parliament to improve scrutiny and accountability.

Writing exclusively for Holyrood’s special 25th anniversary edition, Jack McConnell, Alex Salmond and Henry McLeish all said the parliament needed to be strengthened to ensure Scottish Government decision-making was thoroughly considered.

McConnell, who was first minister between 2001 and 2007, said there needed to be an “overhaul” of the committee system in particular, warning the current setup was not “robust”.

He said: “The well-intentioned parliamentary procedures of 1999 need an overhaul, starting with modernisation of the committee system. The committees have become too partisan in nature and their examination of government proposals less robust than it should be.

“They must be more independent, with conveners elected by backbenchers across the parliament not appointed by party whips.”

He also backed a review of freedom of information laws and a renewal of relations between the Scottish and UK governments, saying the upcoming general election was a chance for a “fresh start” as London lawmakers were “stuck in the past” when dealing with devolution matters.

McLeish, the second-ever first minister of Scotland, echoed that sentiment, arguing that “Westminster has been reluctant to change”. He said this would lead to more tensions unless the two governments started to work together.

He also said “toxic tribalism” had had a “corrosive” effect on Scotland politics, adding Holyrood has “failed” to create a more consensual politics.

He added: “Boundaries between the Scottish Government – an overbearing and suffocating influence since 2014 – and the parliament are blurred. Local government needs to be renewed. The parliament needs strengthened powers of oversight to make the Scottish Government more accountable.”

Salmond, the first SNP first minister who held office between 2007 and 2014, also called for a renewal of parliamentary procedures, particularly on the independence of committees.

He said: “The committee system needs enhanced with more independence and authority. No committee of any democratically elected parliament should ever tolerate being threatened by the government prosecution service, all elected members should have absolute legal privilege in parliament, and chairs should be elected by the parliament not nominated by whips.”

Salmond, who now leads Alba after leaving the SNP in 2018, also criticised the decisions made by his successors.

He said the last 10 years had “produced miserable outcomes” on capital spending and he dubbed the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and the Greens “self-indulgent claptrap” which “would not have been countenanced when there was a referendum to fight and independence to win”.

And he drew parallels between where the SNP is now and where it was in 2003, accusing current First Minister John Swinney of having “safety-first instincts”. He said: “The 2003 election was a disaster for the SNP. In a mistake eerily reminiscent of the current Westminster campaign, John Swinney’s natural ‘safety-first’ instincts came to the fore. To an electorate ready and confident for a walk on the wild side John offered sleep-inducing invitation to ‘release our potential’ to ‘make a better Scotland’.”

Also writing for Holyrood, Swinney and Humza Yousaf said all parties represented in Holyrood must come together to strengthen devolution.

Swinney said: “A lot has been said about parliament no longer being the collaborative place it once was – more than that, colleagues have fairly recognised that debate has become polarised at times.

“Speaking in the chamber shortly after taking on the role of first minister, I acknowledged my contribution to that environment and promised to do better to serve the people of Scotland to the absolute best of our abilities. All of us parliamentarians should reflect on our conduct from time to time and remind ourselves of the shared purpose behind our privileged position.”

Yousaf said: “It is a duty on us all, across the political spectrum, to be at the vanguard, at the very forefront, of protecting devolution. 

“That requires all of us, the SNP included, to elevate our political discourse and remind ourselves of the common principles that bind us, and the protection and enhancement of devolution must surely be one of those core principles.”