A group of SNP politicians have clashed with Highland MP Danny Alexander over his opposition to average speed cameras on the A9.
North MSP Dave Thompson, Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart and Highland Council leader Drew Hendry have urged the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to admit he was wrong about the £2.5million system and apologise to the public.
They said performance statistics proved that the Scottish Government was right to install the system on the Inverness to Perth road because they had already led to an improvement in driver behaviour.
But a spokesman for Mr Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, claimed the SNP were orchestrating a “party political stunt” to “distract” people away from the fact that had failed to dual the A9.
He mocked the nationalists over a blunder in a letter which stated Mr Wishart also represented Inverness and Mr Hendry was standing in a Westminster seat called Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.
It read: “The statistics show that there has been a 97% reduction in the number of motorists recorded travelling at more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit on the road.
“It is our hope that in light of these statistics that you will now accept that your opposition on this issue was wrong and that introducing average speed cameras was the correct thing to do.
“Given that your opposition to average speed cameras could only be of benefit to people breaking the speed limit, it would also be appropriate for you to apologise for what can only be considered to be encouraging reckless driving behaviour on a stretch of road that sees too many accidents.”
Mr Alexander’s spokesman said the MP was acting on the concerns of his constituents.
“With Pete Wishart masquerading as MP for Inverness, and their candidate forgetting where he is standing for election, this is revealed for the party political stunt it is,” he added.
“First they dismiss the prospect of a City Deal for Inverness then call funding for Loch Ness tourism ‘puzzling’.
“Now they insult thousands of constituents who have had their views ignored by SNP ministers.
“It is unsurprising they are trying to distract Highlanders from their abject failure to dual the A9 with this sort of nonsense.”