Decision marks a dark day for devolution

Sir, – In 1998 the Scottish Parliament Bill was debated in the House of Commons, meeting as a committee of the whole house. This process took 353 days and a total of 47 hours and 35 minutes.

In the House of Commons this week, in less than 15 minutes, many of those devolved powers have been clawed back to Westminster through the EU Withdrawal Bill.

This is nothing short of an absolute outrage, with Westminster ripping up the devolution settlement and not even letting any MPS from Scotland speak in the debate, an affront to democracy.

The Brexit bill says that the “vast majority” of the 158 areas where policy in devolved areas is currently decided in Brussels will go directly to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments after Brexit. But it has also named 24 areas where it wants to retain power temporarily in the wake of Britain’s exit from the EU, including in areas such as agriculture, fisheries, food labelling and public procurement. This will last for up to seven years, during which time key powers of the parliament will be frozen, without its consent.

For two decades decisions made by the Scottish Parliament on issues affecting devolution have been final, but the UK Government has now driven a coach and horses through the constitutional settlement and imposed its will in the face of an overwhelming vote in the Scottish Parliament, with only the Tories opposing this at Holyrood.

The Tories campaigned against devolution in 1997 and are now actively dismantling it, a dark day for devolution.

Alex Orr. Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh.

Picture: PA. London calling: SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford outside the Commons after being ejected by the Speaker.