Robert Brown appointed to Campbell Commission

Robert Brown, former Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP, has been appointed by Party Leader Willie Rennie MSP to membership of the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ Home Rule and Community Rule Commission chaired by Sir Menzies Campbell MP. The Party’s Scottish Autumn conference in Dunfermline voted to establish the Commission to look at a settled distribution of powers between London, Edinburgh and local councils. 

Robert Brown also served on the Steel Commission on “Moving to Federalism" and was a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Scotland Bill Committee in the last Parliament.

The Commission has been asked to set out a long-term vision for a strong Scotland within the UK and powerful local communities in every part of Scotland. It will build on the work of the Steel Commission to develop a blueprint for Home Rule for Scotland within a federal United Kingdom.

The Commission is expected to report next later next year.

Robert Brown said:

“I am delighted to be asked to contribute to the Commission. Home Rule for Scotland with a reformed United Kingdom has been something I have backed for my whole political life. It provides a modern partnership for Scotland within the United Kingdom, based on increased responsibility for domestic affairs.

But it is also important to look at how local communities can be given substantial powers to shape their own areas. Rutherglen is the oldest Royal Burgh in Scotland and local people know the value of strong community links and identity. The Liberal Democrat Commission wants to see powers exercised as near to local communities as possible. We are strongly against the way in which the SNP Government are neutering local Councils, centralising the police and generally taking more power to Edinburgh.

It is time too to stress the value to Scotland of being in the United Kingdom. It is difficult to see how the Scottish banks could have been bailed out without the resources of the United Kingdom to do it.

Liberal Democrats are ambitious for Scotland's people and, with Home Rule within the United Kingdom, we can look to shape our own future whilst sharing risk, security and international relations in an uncertain world with the rest of Britain.”