THE “time is right” to consult on whether Scotland’s most senior prosecutor should retain a cabinet role as legal adviser, according to the Law Society of Scotland.

Concerns have grown after Dorothy Bain KC recently stepped down as Lord Advocate when it emerged she briefed First Minister John Swinney on charges facing former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell almost a year before these were made public.

Pointing to the SNP’s 2021 manifesto pledge to consult on separating the roles, Law Society of Scotland president Serena Sutherland said: “The time is right to honour that commitment.

“Should the same person serve as both a Scottish government minister and its most senior legal adviser, while also heading the system of prosecution?

“That is an important constitutional question which deserves careful public consideration.”

The Scottish government said: “A report on the law officers’ roles and functions, published earlier this year, sets out how and why the current system works and its strengths. 

“Careful consideration would be required if there were to be any changes to the ways in which the law officers’ various functions were allocated.”