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Scottish referendum: John Swinney to join Lord Smith commission | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
John Swinney will be named as one of the SNP's two representatives on Lord Smith's cross-party devolution commission, BBC Scotland understands. | |
Mr Swinney, the finance secretary, will sit alongside the former Scottish Conservative leader, Baroness Goldie and the former Scottish secretary, Michael Moore, among others. | |
Labour and the Scottish Greens have yet to make their appointments. | |
Full details of the commission's membership will be confirmed on Friday. | |
The Tories have already said they said would nominate Ms Goldie and legal scholar Prof Adam Tomkins as their representatives. | |
Meanwhile the Lib Dems said they would be represented by Mr Moore and Tavish Scott, their former Scottish leader. | |
All five Holyrood parties have been asked to serve on the commission, which was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron following last Thursday's referendum result. | |
The commission has been tasked with delivering more powers to the Scottish Parliament. A timetable for devolving the new powers has been set out by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. | |
Announcing her party's two nominees for the commission, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: "Adam and Annabel gave an invaluable contribution to the Strathclyde Commission on further devolution, and I have full confidence that their engagement with Lord Smith's work will enhance this process." | Announcing her party's two nominees for the commission, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: "Adam and Annabel gave an invaluable contribution to the Strathclyde Commission on further devolution, and I have full confidence that their engagement with Lord Smith's work will enhance this process." |
The Lib Dems' desire for UK federalism stretches back more than a century. It has welcomed Mr Brown's recent conversion to the policy, and the SNP's desire to use Mr Brown's prediction of "a modern form of Scottish home rule" as part of a federal UK within two years as a benchmark for its own devolution expectations. | The Lib Dems' desire for UK federalism stretches back more than a century. It has welcomed Mr Brown's recent conversion to the policy, and the SNP's desire to use Mr Brown's prediction of "a modern form of Scottish home rule" as part of a federal UK within two years as a benchmark for its own devolution expectations. |
Mr Moore said: "We need to be as ambitious as we can. We have seen the mood across Scotland expressed so wonderfully in the referendum last week. | Mr Moore said: "We need to be as ambitious as we can. We have seen the mood across Scotland expressed so wonderfully in the referendum last week. |
"There's a chance for all of us to raise our game, raise our sights and make sure that we don't resort to the lowest common denominator. | "There's a chance for all of us to raise our game, raise our sights and make sure that we don't resort to the lowest common denominator. |
"I want to see a federal United Kingdom. I'm not sure that we will quite achieve that in one bound, not least because it is also about how the rest of the United Kingdom wants to be part of that." | "I want to see a federal United Kingdom. I'm not sure that we will quite achieve that in one bound, not least because it is also about how the rest of the United Kingdom wants to be part of that." |
Mr Swinney said on Wednesday that Mr Brown's prediction of UK federalism within two years has set "an important benchmark of the type of level of agreement that has to be secured" by the Smith Commission. | |
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that the SNP will take part in the commission, although the party continues to support independence. | Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that the SNP will take part in the commission, although the party continues to support independence. |