Murdo Fraser MSP has raised concerns about the SNP’s proposed legal reforms, describing them as being “out of touch” and “unwarranted.”
The Scottish Conservative politician, a former solicitor himself, raised the matter at Holyrood during a Justice and Veterans Portfolio question to Ash Regan MSP, Minister for Community Safety.
This followed stinging criticism of the proposals from the Judiciary of Scotland, who said the plans would strip Scotland’s highest civil court and its Lord President, Lord Carloway, of regulatory powers.
The Judiciary’s comments came after SNP ministers consulted on proposals to change the way legal services are regulated and complaints against legal service providers are handled.
Commenting, Mr Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “Numerous people in the Judiciary of Scotland have raised concerns about these proposals, saying they amount to ‘political interference’ with the legal system. This saw the extraordinary intervention of Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord Carloway.
“We have also heard from Roddy Dunlop QC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, who has called the plans ‘an assault on the rule of law that must be resisted, root and branch, with tooth and claw’ and I agree with him.
“I asked the Minister for Community Safety how the SNP ended up in a situation where the Judiciary criticise the potential political interference in the legal system but didn’t get a satisfactory answer from her.
“This is another example of unwarranted interference from the SNP – this time on our historical legal system which has served Scotland well for hundreds of years. The notable objections from the Judiciary shows just how out of touch the SNP are.”
