Kemi Badenoch will order a review of devolution that could see powers withdrawn from the Scottish Parliament if the Conservatives win the next general election, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reports that the Tory leader plans to review the Scotland Act as part of a move away from what the party describes as the “devolve and forget” approach of previous governments.
A senior member of Mrs Badenoch’s team told the Daily Mail: “We will review the Scotland Act and consider withdrawing powers if it would ensure better governance of the UK.”
The proposals, which are still being developed by the shadow cabinet, could include taking back powers currently held by Holyrood in areas where the Conservatives believe governance could be improved.
A Scottish Conservative source said: “The time has come to start looking at this. Education is an area we have been raising concerns about because of the gap between Scotland and England and Michael Gove offered to share details of his approach in England.
“Broadly, we would support this. We would look to work closely with the UK party on this.”
The move follows a pledge from shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie that a Conservative government would legislate to allow new nuclear power stations to be built in Scotland despite opposition from the SNP.