PETE Wishart has accused Douglas Ross of double standards after defending Andy Burnham’s criticism that the Scottish government had not given him advance notice that it would be introducing a travel ban between Scotland and Manchester and Salford.
Wishart said Ross would take every opportunity to attack the SNP ministers, underlining that the Conservatives had not consulted Scots on the new UK-Australia trade deal and Brexit.
Ross suggested that the dialogue between Nicola Sturgeon’s administration and the Labor Mayor of Greater Manchester could have been better prior to the measure’s introduction.
He spoke out after Scottish Government Minister Ivan McKee said a decision on Covid-19 must be made quickly.
“The virus, as we know, moves very quickly, decisions are made very quickly and these decisions are communicated at the level of four nations,” he said.
READ MORE: WATCH: Andy Burnham steps up attack on Scottish government over travel ban
“Andy Burnham … will write to the First Minister about it, that is absolutely fine and I am sure there will be a conversation about how we can better inform him in the future.”
Ross appeared on the BBC Scotland Sunday Show shortly after McKee and said, “We know that a law was passed introducing these restrictions in Greater Manchester and a travel ban on Thursday morning, but it wasn’t announced until over 24 hours later.
“When Ivan McKee says that the dialogue between the British government and the Scottish government is not good enough, it would take 24 hours for anyone in Greater Manchester to know of a Scottish government decision the day before.”
Wishart, who was recently attacked personally by Ross during a hearing for the Special Committee on Scottish Affairs, said: “There is a lack of consultation we get from the Tories that we get on virtually every important subject.
“Think of the UK-Australia trade deal. There was no advice on this. The Scottish government was only expected to comply, regardless of the risk to Scottish agriculture.
“That is the absolute worst and utter hypocrisy.”
The First Minister announced on Friday that all non-essential trips to Manchester and Salford will be banned from today.
But the Greater Manchester Mayor said he and his administration had not been contacted prior to the announcement. Burnham on Saturday accused the Scottish government of hypocrisy for not consulting him, despite the SNP regularly complaining that it was left out by the UK government on important decisions.
Then he stepped up his criticism when he appeared on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday.
The mayor said he would write to the Scottish government to ask for compensation for people who booked visits to Scotland and then had to cancel.
“I was really disappointed on Friday that the First Minister of Scotland out of the blue announced a travel ban for us that said people couldn’t travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford and people couldn’t go any other way,” said Burnham .
“This is exactly what the SNP always accuses the Westminster government of trampling people.
“The SNP treats the north of England with the same contempt if it brings this up without consulting us.”
He added, “I just think it’s double standards, it’s hypocrisy.
“They did exactly what they always complain to us about the British government doing Scotland.”
Last month the First Minister announced a travel ban between Scotland and Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton and Bedford.
Although travel restrictions to Bedford were lifted on Friday.
On May 21, she said no broader legal ban would be enacted for other areas of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Bedfordshire at that time, but advised Scots not to travel there.
She added: “We do not impose any legal restrictions on travel to Lancashire or Greater Manchester or areas around Bedfordshire.
“If you plan to visit these areas in the next few days, please consider whether you will have to make the visit or whether it can be delayed.”
