THE SCOTTISH National Party (SNP) has accused British prime minister Gordon Brown of reverting to type by failing to offer increase in financial powers for the Scottish parliament.
The SNP was commenting after the UK government on Monday submitted a 126-page document to the Calman Commission, which was established by pro-union parties last year to examine whether changes were needed after almost 10 years of devolution to Scotland.
The commission was set up after Labour and the Liberal Democrats were ousted from power at Holyrood by a minority SNP government, which wants a referendum on independence in 2010.
Mr Brown recently told employers' group CBI Scotland that the commission should look carefully at financial accountability.
But Monday's document did not spell out the options available, and said only that the government stood "ready to engage" with the commission. Alasdair Allan, a nationalist member of the Scottish parliament, said the government's submission had said no to Scotland from start to finish.
"It reeks of self-satisfied, top-down London centralism, and is a blanket rejection of the clear consensus that exists in Scotland for more responsibilities for the Scottish parliament," he said.
"Gordon Brown has reverted to type, and to the 'no change' position he foisted on Labour in Scotland before the last Holyrood election - and which contributed to their first Scottish defeat in half a century."