Hunt’s telling us to “prepare for the worst” when it comes to any hope for tax cuts in the Autumn Statement because there isn’t enough “room to move“, though the memo doesn’t seem to have got all around government. Guido can reveal the UK Scottish Office has included £42 million of taxpayer funding for a “Potato Innovation Hub” in their budget submission. That amount of cash is no small fry…

The hub would be built in the Scottish central lowlands. Scottish Office Secretary Alister Jack is rooting for the project and pushing cabinet colleagues for support. Potato innovation is being pushed for by land use researchers at the James Hutton Institute who say “rapid” potato development is needed to tackle “climate and biodiversity crises“. Quids out and spuds in…

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has ruled out triggering a by-election by accepting Boris’s offered peerage, announcing he will instead stand down as an MP at the next general election. Leaving the door wide open for that same peerage in about a year or so…

Jack is one of four MPs Boris nominated for a peerage in his resignation honours, along with Nadine Dorries, Nigel Adams, and Alok Sharma. Dorries and Adams have already announced they’re standing down as well. Jack is the 35th Tory to throw in the towel at the election…

The Scottish Government will launch a legal challenge to Alister Jack’s Section 35 order to block the SNP’s controversial gender identity legilation. The rejected bill would have allowed Scottish people – including 16 and 17-year-olds – to obtain a gender recognition certificate without the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It was blocked because of the potential impact on UK-wide equality laws. Humza Yousaf was the only SNP leadership candidate who pledged to reverse the decision…

In a response to a written question today, Social Justice Minister, Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“Scottish Ministers will now lodge a petition for judicial review of the Secretary of State’s decision. The Scottish Government does not consider the reasons set out by him provide sufficient justification for his decision to make an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act. The Scottish Government also believes that the UK Government has not used the power in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Devolved Governments”.

Alister Jack hit back, confirming his view that action was legal:

“The use of the power is entirely within the devolution settlement as set out from its inception, with cross party support.”

Guido would have thought the SNP already had enough legal challenges to deal with…

Rishi’s Westminster government could try and block Scotland’s incredibly controversial gender recognition bill, which was passed by a majority of votes in Holyrood. At present the bill would remove the need for Scottish people – including 16 and 17-year-olds – to obtain a gender recognition certificate without the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Women’s rights campaign groups have been up in arms over the threat to single sex spaces…

Following the passing of the bill, however, the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has warned it may not progress to royal assent, and that the government could block it. He said:

“We will look closely at that, and also the ramifications for the 2010 Equality Act and other UK wide legislation, in the coming weeks – up to and including a Section 35 order stopping the Bill going for Royal Assent if necessary.”

A source close to Kemi Badenoch – the Equalities secretary who has been incredibly scathing of the legislation – also tells Guido:

“Kemi’s overriding concern is the safety of women and girls. The SNP have pushed this Bill through without any thought to its wider implications.”

Brace for SNP chuntering about ‘constitutional crisis and outrage’…

The Supreme Court’s just dealt a surprise blow to the Scottish government, siding with the UK government and determining parts of two Sturgeon bills to be outside the legislative competence of the Scottish parliament. The UK government’s law officers had initiated legal proceedings over concerns that the two bills were not about their policy objectives, and instead would place legal obligations on UK government ministers in reserved areas, affecting the government’s ability to make laws for Scotland. ‘Whoops’ doesn’t quite cover it. 

Alister Jack has hailed the Supreme Court’s decision. In a wider context, the ruling proves the Supreme Court is still keen on ensuring the Scottish government sticks to the boundaries of its legal competence – a ruling that should dissuade Sturgeon from thoughts about holding an illegal second referendum without Boris’s approval. Och aye the oh no…

This morning saw a very confrontational Scottish Select Committee, with Secretary of State Alister Jack not pulling any punches when slamming Nicola Sturgeon’s approach to tackling Coronavirus; claiming the devolved government has been “different for the sake of it” in its response to Covid in an attempt to advance an “agenda“, calling on the First Minister to be “grown-up”. Brave…

Later in the meeting Jack faced a very testy argument from Committee Chair Pete Wishart over next year’s Holyrood elections, with Wishart saying “there’s no chance whatsoever the Scottish Conservatives are going to win next May’s election”. A charge that resulted in the Scottish Secretary calling the SNP “arrogant”…

Playing nicely then…