Proposals are a charter to carry on with corruption.
The SNP are demanding the Westminster Government ditches its sinister and anti-democratic proposals to scrap the independent electoral commission and put it under their own control.
Under the elections bill now passing through parliament, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove would be given power to set the entire remit of the currently independent watchdog that oversees elections and party finances, including donations.
The SNP believe this is another blatant Tory attempt to dismantle all the checks and balances and rig the political process in favour of a Tory Government already mired in corruption and sleaze.
After trying to undermine the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Kathryn Stone, now the Tories are intent on neutering the Electoral Commission, which recently concluded an investigation into how Prime Minister Boris Johnson funded the refurbishment of his Downing St flat.
The probe’s findings are still to be published.
Commenting on the Tory proposals, the SNP’s deputy leader at Westminster Kirsten Oswald MP (pictured) said:
“For a government already consumed by sleaze and corruption it’s astounding they are still even thinking about doing this.
“It is a transparent plot to rig the political process, a charter that will allow the Tories to continue with their endemic sleaze and corruption with impunity.
“All recent evidence – and the Owen Paterson scandal in particular – confirms that Boris Johnson’s government is entirely lacking in morality.
“Given the chance they will do whatever best suits themselves rather than doing what is right and proper.
“To put a Tory minister in charge of the laws surrounding elections is like putting a python in charge of your pet hamster.
“It will not end well.
“The electoral commission must remain entirely independent of government interference – and Boris Johnson’s government in particular.
“Anything less is a direct threat to the last remaining semblance of British democracy, which is already on life-support following the constant attack of Tory corruption.
“Pressing ahead with this sinister and deeply flawed proposal utterly contradicts Boris Johnson’s claim that Britain is not institutionally corrupt.”
