Prime Minister David Cameron was accused of disrespecting the views of most Scots yesterday after he dismissed as “stupid” a question on devolution of North Sea oil revenues.
First Minister Alex Salmond claimed the Conservative leader had displayed “unbelievable arrogance” by laughing at calls for Scotland to seize control of billions of pounds which flow from the north-east-based oil industry to the Treasury.
A poll found last week that more than two-thirds of people in Scotland believed the money should be kept north of the border.
At prime minister’s questions in Westminster yesterday, Mr Cameron was asked by Angus MacNeil, SNP MP for the Western Isles, whether or not he agreed with the 68% of Scots who said they would back such a move.
Mr Cameron laughed and said: “If you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.”
He added: “The fact is the whole of the United Kingdom, rightly, has invested in the North Sea, and the whole of the United Kingdom should benefit from the North Sea.”
The poll published last week showed most Scots would support keeping oil and gas revenues to help lower petrol prices for motorists north of the border. Last night, Mr MacNeil said he was “astonished” by the prime minister’s comments during the exchange.
Mr Salmond also criticised the remarks, which were made on the day oil economist Alex Kemp published the Official History of North Sea Oil and Gas, revealing evidence that its benefits to Scotland’s economy were “downplayed” in the 1970s.
The first minister said: “On the day that this book is published by someone who is undoubtedly the top expert on the North Sea oil industry, it is a sign of unbelievable arrogance that David Cameron describes the opinions of the vast majority of the people of Scotland as ‘stupid’.”
Meanwhile, a fresh row erupted between Holyrood and Westminster yesterday over the Scottish Government’s proposal to devolve corporation tax.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke wrote to Scottish ministers asking for more details about several key points, but the SNP has now told the UK Government that all of the information on the plan has been published.
Last night, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said: “The Scottish Government cannot just ignore the difficult questions they have been asked.”
A spokesman for Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “The Treasury’s position is ridiculous – we have provided a detailed case for devolving corporation tax, including modelling, showing for example how pre-announcing a reduction in corporation tax from 23% to 20% would lead to 27,000 more jobs in the Scottish economy over time.”
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