Brown set to boost Holyrood powers

But while declaring his willingness to consider new powers, Mr Brown said that the review process launched by Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander could also see some powers switch back from Holyrood to Westminster, and gave as examples some aspects of terrorism legislation and control over future foot-and-mouth outbreaks.

During a BBC Scotland interview for The Politics Show, he also mounted a strong public defence of Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander.

Mr Brown gave her his public backing both in her leadership role and in her plans for a fresh study of the devolved settlement.

Some Labour MPs are thought to be particularly unhappy at this, arguing that to open up a new debate about the powers of the Scottish Parliament can only help the SNP.

But Mr Brown defended the plan for what Ms Alexander has described as a commission, although he calls it a "review", and pointed out that the move has been taken on board by a vote in the Scottish Parliament.

"I think there is a very strong case for moving forward with this review, a strong case for looking after 10 years of devolution at what is the right steps forward," he told the programme. "There is an issue about the financial responsibility of an Executive or an administration that has £30 billion to spend but doesn't have any responsibility for raising any pounds of that."

Asked of the possibility of more tax powers emerging from this review, Mr Brown said: "Well this is what any review should look at. Nobody should pre-judge it. There is a case for saying that in any other devolved administration in the world there is usually a financial responsibility that requires not only the spending of money by the administration but also its responsibility to take seriously how it raises money."

Ms Sturgeon said Gordon Brown's hints at more powers for the Scottish Parliament were a significant change of position.

But she said Ms Alexander should feel "a sense of queasiness" about the Prime Minister's remarks: "I don't think you have to scratch the surface very hard to find the real agenda - this is about Gordon Brown getting control of this process. Wendy Alexander's Scottish commission has become a Westminster review, and already we have talk of powers going back from the Scottish Parliament to Westminster."