Mr MUDDLE MUNDELL: I WON’T QUIT
Scots Secretary admits he’s failed to deliver for Holyrood over Brexit – but says he’s staying put
DAVID Mundell faced calls to quit yesterday over his failure to stop the Tory “power grab” of Scottish powers after Brexit.
The Scots Secretary promised last month that parts of the Brexit Bill would be changed in the Commons to take account of the concerns of the Holyrood Government.
He has now said that time for talks with the devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales had run out and it would be down to the Lords to make the changes.
Facing Scottish Questions in the Commons for the first time since the debacle, Mundell was hit with a barrage of questions from opponents.
He told MPs he took full responsibility for the delay.
But he dismissed suggestions from the SNP’s Pete Wishart that he should “consider his own position”.
Mundell said: “The Bill will be debated, the clause amendment will be debated in the House of Lords.
“I regret that it’s been brought forward in the House of Lords but we simply did not meet the timescale we aspired to.”
Mundell added: “There will be further opportunities to debate that amendment in this House and, of course, the Scottish Parliament.”
SNP deputy Commons leader Wishart said: “He has accepted full responsibility for not producing these amendments. Is he now at a time to think about his own position?”
SNP MP Mhairi Black said: “What I’d like the minister to justify is how it can be OK that Michelle Mone and Alan Sugar are going to have more of an impact on this Bill than Scotland’s members.”
A Scotland Office source said Mundell had “not given a minute’s thought” to resigning.
They also said Holyrood and the UK Government were close to agreement on an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. Mundell’s bad day at the office began when Brexit Secretary David Davis passed the buck when faced with questions about why the Bill did not have amendments to the controversial Clause 11.
Davis spluttered: “You must ask the Secretary of State for Scotland.”
Wishart said: “The Scottish Secretary failed to adequately answer basic questions over his broken promise to protect devolved governments.
“It was extraordinary that he was hung out to dry by his colleague the Brexit Secretary.
“Time is running out for David Mundell.”
Clause 11 states that powers that will come to the UK from the EU after Brexit will automatically go to the Westminster Government.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described it as a “power grab” because it would mean London taking charge of policy areas traditionally devolved to Holyrood, including farming and fishing.