SNP Predicts Queen's Speech 'Test'

The Queen's Speech will be an early test'' of the Conservatives' pledge to implement the Smith Commission's proposals on more powers for Holyrood, the SNP's Westminster leader has said.

Angus Robertson said there were shortcomings'' on the draft clauses published earlier this year and he insisted the Scotland Bill - which is due to be published on Thursday - must live up toboth the spirit and the letter'' of the cross-party deal that was reached.

David Cameron has already held talks with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the issue, with the PM saying he had not ruled out making further changes if ''sensible suggestions'' are made.

Mr Robertson said the SNP, who now have 56 MPs at Westminster, would be the real opposition to the Tories'' on this issue and others.

In terms of more powers for Scotland, it is an early test of the UK Government's good faith that the Scotland Bill lives up to both the spirit and the letter of the Smith Commission,'' he said.

The Scottish Government has already set out the shortcomings of the draft legislation published in January and submitted detailed amendments to the UK Government to bring their original proposals into line with Smith, so there can be no excuse.

This is the first key test. As the First Minister agreed with David Cameron, the Scottish Government will also put forward proposals for a transfer of powers beyond Smith for discussion between the Scottish Secretary and the Deputy First Minister - for which half of Scotland's electorate voted. The people of Scotland have spoken and Westminster has a democratic duty to listen.''

He added: In these and many more important areas, the real opposition to the Tories at Westminster is coming - and will continue to come - from the SNP.''

Downing Street has already said the programme of legislation that will be revealed in the speech will show it is getting on with'' the work of delivering on the Tory election manifesto.

That will include a new Scotland Bill to give more powers to Holyrood. The package - the first from a Conservative-only administration for nearly two decades - is set to include a flagship Bill for a vote on European Union membership.

There are also expected to be controversial proposals for replacing the Human Rights Act with a bill of rights, reforming strike laws, curbing benefits and giving English MPs more say over measures that only affect England.

Mr Robertson said opposing austerity will be at the heart of our response to the Tories' programme for government''.

He added: Our priority is ending austerity and the damage it does to people's lives.

The Tory Government's priority is ending human rights and we will work across party lines and with colleagues in the Scottish Parliament to stop them scrapping the Human Rights Act.

Since the election, we have seen Labour U-turn to back the Tories on a European referendum - and support their ridiculous and discriminatory position of allowing some but not all EU nationals to vote.''

Labour shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray claimed the Queen's Speech would confirm the return of the nasty party, who must urgently come clean about where the axe of their £12 billion cuts to welfare will fall''.

He hit out at the Conservatives, and said: The £12 billion per year of further cuts to welfare, almost entirely from working-age benefits, will make the lives of those who work, and who already struggle to get by, even harder.

David Cameron and the Tories may claim that they look out for working people, but these cuts will fall most heavily on the working poor and will push even more children into poverty.''

Mr Murray, who is now the only Scottish Labour MP, added: Today's Queen's Speech will deliver on the vow made to Scotland during the referendum by tabling a Scotland Bill. This Bill is a serious offer of more power to Scotland, and Scottish Labour will work constructively to push the Tories to deliver the power to the Scottish Parliament to defend Scotland against further austerity.

But the threats to Scots don't end with the Tories. Nicola Sturgeon has committed her party to amending the Scotland Bill to include full fiscal autonomy, which would mean an end to the Barnett Formula and an additional £7.6 billion of cuts to the Scottish budget.

Scottish Labour will stand up for Scotland against Tory or Nationalist austerity whilst guaranteeing a powerhouse parliament in Holyrood.''