Tories set for power grab
The UK Parliament has only been back for a couple of weeks, and the business has been very much dominated by Brexit.
After just two days of debate, the EU Withdrawal Bill was railroaded through its first parliamentary vote on Monday night by the Tory UK Government, despite the SNP’s principled opposition.
This takes the UK one step closer towards a damaging Brexit, resulting from the Tory government’s apparent lack of any strategy whatsoever.
It has been evident from the start that the Tories are clueless about Brexit and have no plan to ensure a smooth exit from the EU, and this Bill is a direct consequence of that strategy.
This Bill, a serious threat to our democracy, giving ministers sweeping powers to change laws without parliamentary scrutiny, sparked major protests outside the House of Commons. It is also a direct attack against devolution with devolved powers being returned to Westminster instead of Holyrood.
That this was voted through on the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament is the bitterest irony of all.
It is my priority, along with my SNP colleagues, to work to stop the Tories from pulling us out of the Single Market and preventing a power grab over responsibilities that are devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
We will also continue to demand that the UK Government do the right thing and guarantee the residency status of EU nationals as soon as possible.
We will be challenging the Government at the committee stage to drive forward a new approach to seek the best possible legislation and deal for the UK’s exit from the EU.