THE Leader of the House of Commons has been accused of misleading parliament over claims she made about the Scottish Government’s fishing ban proposals.
Penny Mordaunt accused ministers in Edinburgh of failing to consult with fishing communities over proposals to outlaw all kinds of fishing in a tenth of Scottish waters by making them Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
The Commons leader’s comments enraged SNP MPs in the chamber on Thursday morning – who protested that the Scottish Government had consulted communities over the plans.
Mordaunt said: “The complaints that not just Conservative MPs and MSPs have about the way the Scottish Government have been going about this, and also the concerns that have been raised by many coastal communities is because the Scottish Government does not consult and it does not listen to those communities.”
The SNP have now accused Mordaunt of misleading parliament – calling her claims “blatant misinformation” and pointing out that the Scottish Government has held an official consultation on the plans.
The South of Scotland MSP Emma Harper said: “This blatant misinformation by the Tories shows they don't have a clue about what's going on in Scotland.
"The Scottish Government is listening very carefully to our coastal communities as part of this proposal, not least through the official consultation on HMPAs which opened in December and ran until the middle of April. Indeed, that's exactly why the consultation happened so early in the process.
"The question for Penny Mordant is simple: is she deliberately misleading Parliament or completely out of touch with Scotland - or both?"
The proposals for HPMAs are deeply controversial – with those employed in the fishing industry saying the plans make them fear for their livelihoods.
Many rural politicians, including within the SNP, are opposed to the plans, including both the MSP and MP for the Western Isles and Fergus Ewing, who represents Inverness.
But Kate Forbes, who represents Skye in the Scottish Parliament, has welcomed what is seen as a more conciliatory approach under Humza Yousaf’s government, with the Rural Affairs Secretary repeatedly promising that the Government will not impose HPMAs with communities that do not want them.
The Cabinet Office was approached for comment.
