Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The Scottish Government has accused the Tory administration in Westminster of hijacking its plans for a Scottish summit on the drug deaths crisis.

Details for the crucial conference in Glasgow were originally unveiled by Holyrood – but a date of February 27 was announced by the UK Government after zero consultation with counterparts in Scotland.

That decision provoked anger as both administrations are miles apart on crucial issues, notably the decriminalisation of possession of drugs – which the Record has campaigned for and which the SNP supports.

The Tories have also rigidly opposed a drug consumption room in Glasgow, despite almost unanimous support elsewhere.

(Image: PA)

The summit date announcement came as a shock to Scottish Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick, who issued an extraordinary statement, making clear he had been pressing Westminster for movement on the meeting, due to bring together “drug recovery experts, health professionals, ministers and senior police officers from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.

He said: “I was, therefore, very surprised that the UK Government announced a summit in Glasgow without any consultation with the Scottish Government and Glasgow.

"What Scotland faces in terms of drug deaths is nothing short of a public health emergency and we will engage constructively with any attempts to save lives.

“Regardless of how the UK Government has chosen to go about this, what really matters is reducing harm and saving lives.”

He said the Scottish Government would “now, again, attempt to work with the UK Government to facilitate” the summit.

Despite repeated pleas, it looked unlikely that Home Secretary Priti Patel would bother attending the key talks.

FitzPatrick has written to Patel on three occasions asking her to “commit to attending” a summit on this issue.

The UK Government said underlings Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care, and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack would attend the event.

The UK Minister for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service, Kit Malthouse, who will chair the event, said: “This summit will bring us together to tackle the issue of drug misuse. We must have firm enforcement action and do all we can on prevention, recovery and treatment too.”

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon claims any Tory ministers in attendance will make a mockery of the process if they reject out of hand any measures that clearly have the support of the majority of delegates.

Lennon said: “As a minimum, the Tory Government should be giving the go-ahead to a pilot for a safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow.”