Election '97: Blair stresses his devotion to devolution

Tony Blair stressed his commitment to Scottish devolution yesterday and insisted that there would be no tax-raising constraints on a Scottish Parliament set up by a Labour government.

Mr Blair said on a Scottish radio phone-in programme that there was no inconsistency in his party's plans, and promised that ultimate sovereignty would remain at Westminster.

It was his first interview north of the border since launching Labour's manifesto for Scotland 10 days ago and likening a Scottish parliament's powers to those of an English parish council.

Speaking from a studio in London, he told Radio Clyde: "Devolution is not separatism, it is not federation. It is devolving certain specific powers over the running of public services and the making of the laws regarding them, to the Scottish Parliament."

Mr Blair said the most important thing was to recognise that the establishment and survival of a Scottish Parliament rested on the goodwill and support of the Scottish people.

It was necessary to keep an eye on the big picture, he said, adding that only Labour could deliver a Scottish Parliament.

The Parliament would have the power to decide the issues which it had control over and could not be dictated to by Westminster on those issues. It would have the power to raise taxes, if the people voted for it, but Labour had made a commitment not to raise the basic or top rates of income tax for five years, he added.

Labour's shadow Scottish secretary, George Robertson, had said the Scottish Labour Party were committed to keeping to the English party's promise to keep to the Conservatives' tax plans, he said.

"This idea that I sort of enforce everything on everybody, I mean, the Scottish Labour party has been part of the process of developing the manifesto for the UK. They say, in the Scottish manifesto, 'we are not going to raise the basic or top rate of income tax."