Transport minister Keith Brown has said Scotland’s railway franchise should be allowed to be run by the public sector.
UK Government rules mean the ScotRail franchise has to be privately run, but the SNP minister has said a relaxation of this rule should be part of a new package of powers promised to Holyrood.
He said: “The current Westminster legislation prohibits public-sector bids, I think a sensible move would be to remove this restriction to allow, in the future, the possibility of a publically-run railway in Scotland.”
Brown was speaking after he launched his bid to be the next deputy leader of the SNP. Mr Brown said the near trebling of the party’s membership will spark a new way of doing business for the SNP.
He said: “These people have come to the party because they still have energy to burn after the referendum, we need to harness the enthusiasm and ideas they will bring.
“It will make us sit up and think about how we do our business. I would like to see an expanded National Assembly on policy, constantly pumping through fresh ideas.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe