THE SNP have accused Scottish Conservative MPs of “going into hiding” after none of them were made available for interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland on Thursday.
It comes as Liz Truss broke her silence on the fallout from the Tory government’s mini budget which was largely met with widespread criticism.
The IMF issued an extraordinary statement urging Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to reverse his tax cuts whilst the Bank of England was forced to intervene in order to prevent a “a material risk to UK financial stability”.
On Thursday morning, the BBC Good Morning Scotland presenter said: “We had hoped to hear from the Treasury on this morning’s programme, no one was available.
“Likewise, no one from the Scotland Office could find the time to talk to us. The story was the same when we asked to speak to any of the party’s Scottish MPs, their leader Douglas Ross included.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservative leader was caught on camera at FMQs on Thursday appearing to laugh and heckle as Nicola Sturgeon reeled off a list of the damage done to the UK economy following Kwarteng’s mini-budget announcement.
On the absence of any Scottish Tory MPs on Good Morning Scotland, an SNP source said: “The UK economy is being trashed and the public are deeply worried about living costs, pensions and mortgages.
“Scottish Tory MSPs and MPs are jointly and severally liable for this economic mess, they can’t be let off the hook by going into hiding.
“In this Westminster-created crisis they should be pursued without fear or favour.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss spent the morning being grilled on various regional radio networks in England.
Following on from the interviews, it is understood Truss mixed up the “basic facts” of her own government’s energy price cap seven times.
The SNP source continued: “The BBC’s raft of English local radio stations deserve credit for their handling of Liz Truss’s fleeting public appearances.
“Her ploy to evade scrutiny by sneaking in a few five-minute interviews on regional radio was as cowardly as it was stupid.
“But, thanks to some strong questioning, the PM’s plan backfired and she was totally exposed like a rabbit in the headlights.
“The Prime Minister is supposed to govern across the nations of the UK, not just England, so media in Scotland should have access to her regularly, not just as an afterthought.”
The Scottish Conservatives have been approached for comment.
