MEMBERS of Scotland’s Red Paper Collective cautioned yesterday that SNP demands for “full autonomy” on trade could lead to a race to the bottom on tax and standards.

Scottish National Party MPs Richard Thomson, Drew Hendry and Brendan O’Hara wrote to the trade and foreign secretaries at the weekend, condemning the British government’s refusal to let MPs scrutinise a free trade agreement with India.

The trio highlighted India’s poor record on “child labour and workers’ rights” and slammed ministers’ “evasive and partisan rhetoric” when challenged on this.

They noted that trade treaties affect devolved policy areas, including health, environment, food and farming, and called for Scotland to be given “full autonomy to forge deals and relationships” and “full powers to control its own trade negotiations.”

Red Paper Collective members Tom Morrison, Vince Mills and Labour peer Pauline Bryan welcomed the demand for scrutiny, including by devolved nations, but said “past calls for lower corporation tax and special incentives for foreign investors, effectively at the expense of other nations,” made the call for full autonomy suspicious.

“The real need is for long overdue constitutional reform abolishing the totally undemocratic House of Lords.  This should be replaced by a second chamber representing the nations and regions with responsibility for scrutinising all such legislation,” they said.

“Last year’s constitutional report to the Labour executive” (written by former prime minister Gordon Brown) “made this proposal — it is to be hoped that it will appear in the Labour Party election programme,” they added.