A Scotland Office minister who represents an English seat has blasted claims he should not be in the post as “anti-British”.
Tory Iain Stewart rejected suggestions that he is “disqualified” for the job on account of being the MP for Milton Keynes South.
Stewart became a minister in Scotland Secretary Alister Jack’s department following the resignation of Moray MP Douglas Ross.
Raised in Hamilton and educated in Glasgow, Stewart moved to Milton Keynes in the 1990s and later became an MP in the town.
However, his ministerial appointment generated criticism because he does not represent a Scottish seat.
Asked whether it is appropriate for an English MP to do the job, he told the BBC:
“There have been examples the other way round. John Reid in Tony Blair’s government was responsible for the health service in England when he represented a Scottish seat.
“So I don’t buy into this anti-British view that because you represent a constituency in one part of Britain that you are disqualified from doing a good job in the other parts.”
He said he had been involved in Scottish politics for “thirty odd years”, adding: “I think I am eminently well qualified to do this job.”
On Nicola Sturgeon’s call for an extension of the furlough scheme, he said the chancellor is considering if any further short term support measures are appropriate.
He also said Scottish businesses are “desperate” to get back to trading.
Asked whether a no deal Brexit, combined with the impact of the pandemic, is in Scotland’s economic interests, he said: “I don’t believe we will end up with no deal.
“I am very confident that we could get that common sense deal in the relatively near future.”
