THE SCOTTISH Tories have been accused of trying to “ignore two decades of devolution” after they urged the next Prime Minister to “bypass Holyood.”

Earlier this week, Ruth Davidson’s MPs sent a letter to all the contenders in their party’s leadership contest asking them to spend UK Government money directly on Scottish projects to shore up the Union.

The joint “plan for the union”, penned by all 13 Scottish Tory MPs – including Scottish Secretary David Mundell – also called for the next Prime Minister to reject Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a new referendum on Scottish Independence.

The group said: “Too often there is a view in many parts of Whitehall that we should devolve and forget, that Scotland has been transferred its Barnett dues and that is enough.

“The next prime minister must be prepared to challenge this and put the union at the centre of their Government’s agenda.”

This would mean, they added, Whitehall being prepared to “show, not tell.”

The MPs wrote: “The Scottish Government has already moved into the reserved space by having an international aid budget. It is time for the UK Government to do the same, by having a tangible role in local communities supporting local projects with new investment.

“Surely even the SNP would not be against more investment into Scotland.”

The Tories said this would mean “intervening to ensure people can access cash and banking services in rural areas and “the replacement for European structural funds to put the union at the heart of tackling inequality across the UK.”

However, direct funding of some projects would require a change in the Scotland Act to allow the Treasury to bypass the Scottish Parliament.

The SNP’s Depute Leader Keith Brown called the demand “extraordinary” and a “threat to devolution.”

He said: “Not so long ago the Scottish Tories were frantically briefing that Ruth Davidson would stand in the way of Boris Johnson’s leadership ambitions.

“As always, when the winds shift the Scottish Tories change their minds.

“Not only are they content with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, Ruth Davidson’s Tories are demanding he ignores two decades of devolution and bypasses our democratically elected parliament.

“That’s an extraordinary development – and puts the Tories on the wrong side of public opinion and the wrong side of history.

“The public rightly expect politicians from all parties to defend our hard-won Parliament.

“The Tories must urgently take this threat to devolution off the table.”

A spokesman for the Tories said: “The biggest threat to devolution is the SNP, which sends back the powers it doesn’t want and botches the ones it does.”

Meanwhile, with Matt Hancock out of the race to replace Theresa May, there are now three Scottish Tory votes up for grabs.