The SNP has slammed Alister Jack after he said the Scottish Government wants to "destroy" the United Kingdom.
The Tory Scotland Secretary said the "Scottish Government get up each day and go to work to destroy the United Kingdom" while he faced questions from the Scottish Affairs Committee.
Committee chair and SNP MP Pete Wishart slammed Jack's claims. He said the language was not "constructive" and questioned how using such rhetoric could be "helpful".
Jack was joined by Scotland Office ministers John Lamont, Malcolm Offord and senior civil servant Lyn McDonald.
He was quizzed for 90 minutes by SNP MPs Wishart, Deidre Brock and Philippa Whitford, Lib Dems Christine Jardine and Wendy Chamberlain and Tories Douglas Ross, David Duguid and Sally-Ann Hart.
After Jack made his opening statement, Wishart said relations between the Scottish and UK Governments had never "been at such a low ebb" and were "characterised by distrust and never-ending conflict".
He then asked Jack what he would do to "improve the atmosphere and culture".
Jack said the two governments had worked well on some things but claimed "the Scottish Government get up each day and go to work to destroy the United Kingdom and I get up and go to work each day to strengthen the United Kingdom."
He added: "My job is to defend the constitution and defend devolution and I think the Scottish Government want to break up the United Kingdom which would bring devolution to the end."
Wishart asked Jack "how helpful" that kind of language was.
But the Scotland Secretary doubled down on his comments. He replied: "I think I'm being honest. I said at the beginning I'm honest. It's an honest position. They want to destroy the United Kingdom."
Wishart said that the language was not "the least bit constructive".
He added: "I asked you directly what you were going to do to improve the situation and all I heard was a comment that is actually going to make the situation worse."
Jack also clashed with the other SNP MPs on the committee over whether the UK Government will grant an exemption to the UK Internal Market Act for the Deposit Return scheme and Scottish Government ministers' trips abroad.
He accused Scottish Government ministers of seeking to “undermine” the UK Government with the foreign trips.
He denied the UK Government would be liable for paying compensation to businesses if the recycling scheme is scrapped.
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