A Holyrood Bill ‘would just confuse EU talks’
NICOLA Sturgeon’s bid to push through a Scottish ‘Brexit bill’ will only confuse negotiations and allow her to pressure UK ministers, a legal expert has said.
The First Minister plans to introduce an EU ‘continuity bill’ as the stand-off with the UK Government over aspects of the EU Withdrawal Bill continues.
Draft legislation could be brought to Holyrood as early as next month after the Conservatives failed to make changes to Clause 11 of the Bill before it left the Commons.
Miss Sturgeon has said as it stands the legislation amounts to a ‘power grab’ and has told officials to draw up a bill that will bring EU competencies into Scots law.
But leading academic Sionaidh Douglas-Scott said a Scots bill would only further confuse negotiations. The professor, from London’s Queen Mary University, said: ‘Even if a Scottish continuity bill were upheld in the courts, it would still be open for the UK Government to enact the Withdrawal Bill for the whole of the UK.
‘The UK, as a sovereign Parliament, may override legislation passed by devolved legislatures.
‘At present, the greatest value of a continuity bill may be the political pressure it might exert on the UK Government.’
Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said: ‘We are disappointed that the Scottish Government feels it has to progress with a continuity bill.
‘We remain confident that this will not prove to be needed, because the necessary amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill will be made in the Lords.’
Last night, a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We have made clear that we are unable to recommend consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill in its current form, which a cross-party committee has described as “incompatible with the devolution settlement”.’
‘Political pressure it might exert’