Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael has launched a withering attack on his Tory coalition partners – comparing them to a wild cat that will never be tamed.
He claimed the Conservatives had displayed “recklessness” in its response to the independence referendum result, and branded plans to scrap the Human Rights Act as “stupid”.
Within an hour of the announcement that 55% of Scots had voted to stay in the UK last month, Prime Minister David Cameron gave a speech outside 10 Downing Street linking devolution to Scotland with implementing English-only votes at Westminster.
Mr Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, suggested such moves risk bolstering SNP calls for another referendum.
“Being in coalition with the Tories is a bit like sharing your house with a cat,” he said.
“You might think you have a domesticated pet but the second it suits the cat, the claws will come out and off it goes, back to the wild.”
Recalling the Downing Street speech, he said: “Remember how David Cameron responded to the news that 45% of the people of Scotland had just voted to be independent.
“He used the moment to seize the initiative on English votes for English laws and to embarrass the Labour Party.
“It is just what you expect from the leader of the Conservative Party although I expected a little more from the prime minister.”
Turning his fire on Aberdeen-raised chief whip Michael Gove, the Scottish Secretary said: “For the likes of Michael Gove then to suggest that the all-party pledge on more powers was contingent on getting a deal on English votes was an act of political and constitutional recklessness.
“In my day it would have earned you a meeting with the chief whip.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also criticised the Tories over the move, saying “it has got to be fair votes for English issues not Tory votes for English issues”.
Mr Cameron announced last week that if the Conservatives are re-elected they would scrap the Human Rights Act.
Mr Carmichael highlighted the legislation’s links to devolution, saying it was “a thoroughly stupid idea on any view but patently no thought had been given to the fact that the Human Rights Act is integral to the act setting up the Scottish Parliament”.