ATTEMPTS by senior Tories to woo the Scottish Government with Brexit power promises have failed to make much of an impact, with SNP ministers saying they’ll still recommend MSPs reject the “blatant power grab” of the Great Repeal Bill.
Theresa May’s deputy Damian Green and Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell met with Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Scotland’s Brexit Minister Michael Russell for talks in Edinburgh yesterday.
The meeting was to identify which powers repatriated from Brussels after Brexit should go to London, and which should come to the Scottish Parliament.
Both sides said the summit was “useful” and “positive” but concluded with no agreement.
Brexit and the devolved assemblies promise to be a huge headache for the UK Government who will, by convention, need to get consent from Wales and Scotland for their Brexit repeal bill, which aims, effectively, to convert all EU law into British law.
Just hours after the government published the 66-page European Union (Withdrawal) Bill in July, Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones took the highly unusual step of issuing a joint statement rejecting the government’s proposals, claiming they amounted to “a naked power grab” and “an attack on the founding principles of devolution”.
If the two parliaments reject consent it will not stop Brexit from happening or stop the Bill from being passed, but it will mean the UK Government has to enter uncharted territory, overruling the decisions of the devolved assemblies in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
Speaking after the meeting Russell said: “We remain absolutely clear that, as things stand, we will not recommend to the Scottish Parliament that it gives its consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill.
“The Bill as currently drafted is impractical and unworkable. It is a blatant power grab which would take existing competence over a wide range of devolved policy areas, including aspects of things like agriculture and fishing, away from Holyrood, giving them instead to Westminster and Whitehall.
“That means that unless there are serious and significant changes to the proposed legislation, the strong likelihood is that the Scottish Parliament will vote against the repeal bill.
“To be clear, that would not block Brexit and we have never claimed to have a veto over EU withdrawal.
“But UK ministers should still be in no doubt – to override a vote of the Scottish Parliament and impose the EU Withdrawal Bill on Scotland would be an extraordinary and unprecedented step to take.
“What is now needed is a recognition from the UK Government that the Bill as drafted cannot proceed. It should be changed to take account of the very serious concerns expressed by the Scottish and Welsh governments.
“The current proposals are a direct threat to the devolution settlement which the people of Scotland overwhelmingly voted for in 1997.
“As we have made clear, we are not opposed in principle to UK-wide frameworks in certain areas – but this must be on the basis of agreement among equals, not imposed by Westminster.”
Meanwhile, the former chief of staff to Brexit minister David Davis said leaving the EU would be the “biggest calamity for our country since WW2”.
James Chapman, who until May was a key part of Britain’s Brexit team, called for a new political party of pro-EU Labour and Tory MPs to stop it happening.
He tweeted: “Past time for sensible MPs in all parties to admit Brexit is a catastrophe, come together in new party if need be, and reverse it #euref19.”
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