NICOLA Sturgeon will tell the Prime Minister that the Scottish Government is still willing to back the Tory Brexit repeal bill, but only if Downing Street respects “the democratically endorsed devolved settlement”.
The First Minister and her Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones will meet with the Prime Minister at the Joint Ministerial Committee today.
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Speaking ahead of the meeting, the SNP leader said the tense situation with the Russians should be kept in mind.
“Brexit presents significant challenges, so it is important that all governments in the UK are able to influence the next steps in this process.
“The issues on the table today are very serious ones, both for our economic future and for the future of devolution,” Sturgeon said.
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She added: “But we should also be mindful of the broader international backdrop to our discussions, including wider economic and trade issues, and the security situation following the suspected involvement of Russia in the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.”
The First Minister said it was important that the UK Government “understands the very different position of the Scottish Government and our desire to retain our place in the single market”.
This, she argued, was around eight times bigger than the UK market alone. “We are not expecting an agreement to be reached on the withdrawal bill today as there are no new proposals from the UK Government on the table,” she said.
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“The amendments currently proposed by the UK Government do not have the agreement of either the Scottish or Welsh Governments as they do not respect devolution.”
She added: “No First Minister would agree to plans that would enable the UK Government to take control of currently devolved powers without Holyrood’s consent – and without guaranteeing that the Scottish Parliament would have a role in fute legislation in any area where these powers were used.”
The SNP leader also expressed concerns that any power taken by the Tory government for a UK framework would not be“time-limited”.
“We are also concerned that unlike the rest of the EU Withdrawal Bill, the proposals on devolution are not time-limited which means the UK Government could hold this power of veto over devolved powers indefinitely.
“While we remain determined to continue discussions on this issue, it is time for the UK Government to show respect for devolution and accept that no changes can be made to Scotland’s devolved powers without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.
“Today is an opportunity for the UK Government to demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to acting in the interests of the people of Scotland and to respect the democratically endorsed devolved settlement.”
MSPs had a late night yesterday, as they worked their way through more than 230 amendments to the Scottish Government’s Brexit continuity bill.
The stop gap bill has been brought forward by the administrations in Wales and Scotland to prepare for the seemingly increasing possibility that there will be no agreement between the UK Government and the devolved assemblies over the EU Withdrawal Bill making its way through the House of Lords just now.
Scotland and Wales have said the UK Government’s EU Withdrawal Bill, which transposes EU law into UK law following Brexit, is a “power grab”.
The Continuity Bill is being rushed through Holyrood on a shortened timetable as emergency legislation and the Scottish Government claims it will safeguard devolution.
A majority of MSPs backed the general principles of the Bill at stage one last week, with the Tories voting against and calling for it to be scrapped.
The Tories have lodged an incredible 147 amendments.
In the Lords, the Tories were telling Scotland to know its place.
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