May facing dual Brexit roadblock
BRITAIN: Theresa May’s vow to ‘‘see Brexit through’’ has been thrown into doubt, after it emerged that the Scottish parliament and House of Lords could join hostile MPs in blocking legislation to smooth Britain’s path out of the European Union.
Brexit dominated a nineminute Queen’s Speech yesterday detailing a stripped-down two-year legislative programme, but it was quickly clear that the policy, to be delivered through eight bills, would face significant hurdles on its route to the statute book.
Proposals to reserve to Westminster farming and fisheries powers brought back from Brussels have provoked the first row with the Scottish parliament in Holyrood. The ruling Scottish National Party threatened to derail Brexit unless it was handed full control of the powers.
The developments came as talks with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) over an agreement to prop up May’s minority government broke down, casting further uncertainty over how long she can stay in No 10.
An exodus of senior Downing Street staff also continued yesterday.
After her election humiliation, May has had to drop vast sections of her Conservative Party’s manifesto, including proposals for new grammar schools and prison reform. Instead, MPs and peers must vote through the bills to prepare Britain for a future outside the EU with new customs, immigration and trade regimes before its departure in 2019. If any are delayed or defeated, the Brexit timetable could be wrecked.
May, who travelled to Brussels yesterday for her first summit with EU leaders since the election, was forced to admit that some of the legislation might need to be approved by Holyrood under the Sewel convention. This allows the Scottish parliament to vote on whether it will give consent for the United Kingdom government to legislate on its behalf in devolved areas.
Further questions over May’s powers to drive the Brexit legislation were raised after No 10 initially struggled to say whether the Salisbury convention, under which the House of Lords undertakes not to block manifesto commitments passed in the House of Commons, applied in a hung parliament.
At the end of another tricky day for the prime minister, it emerged that the negotiations with the DUP had stalled, reportedly over demands for an extra £2 billion for health and infrastructure spending in Northern Ireland. Although the party is expected to back May in next week’s vote on the Queen’s Speech, Tory hopes of a longerterm confidence and supply agreement to guarantee a majority are fading.
May endured a succession of taunts in the Commons over her ill-judged snap election but defended her right to form a government.
May also continued a clearout at No 10 with the departure of John Godfrey, her policy chief.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson endured a torrid time during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, struggling when challenged over the Queen’s Speech. He paused and said ‘‘hang on a second’’ when asked about specific measures, and irritated host Eddie Mair by attempting to address different questions from the ones he was asked.
Johnson later promised not to stand to replace May at least until Brexit was delivered in 2019.
- The Times