LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called the devolution of powers to Scotland “a disaster”, a comment that played into the hands of Scottish nationalists as recent polls show a majority of Scots now support independence.The bonds holding the United Kingdom together have been severely strained over the last five years by Brexit, the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and repeated calls by the Scottish National Party (SNP) for a new referendum on independence. In a video call on Friday with northern English lawmakers from his Conservative Party, Johnson said that devolution, which was introduced by Tony Blair, had been the former Labout prime minister’s “biggest mistake” and “a disaster”, media reported. He also said he saw no case for giving Scotland’s semi-autonomous government and parliament, which are dominated by the SNP, any further powers in addition to the ones they hold now. Asked about the comments on Tuesday, Johnson’s spokesman did not deny them but said: “The PM has always fully supported devolution and this government continues to put the union in the heart of everything that we do. “He will always stand against those trying to separate the United Kingdom. He is very clear that he rejects the SNP’s call to break up the UK.”