The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)

Russell says EU repeal bill will strip Holyrood powers

Opposition parties slam what they describe as a ‘power grab’

- Laura paTerson

Brexit Secretary Michael Russell has claimed the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill means Holyrood can lose 111 parliament­ary powers if passed.

He said: “Those are all areas where we could sensibly sit down and say how do we work together on these things.

“In fact, we’re not allowed to work together on any of those things.

“So in every one of those 111 things which touch the lives of everybody in Scotland – farming, fishing, environmen­t, justice, education – in all those areas the intention is that the UK Government will take those powers and they have not said that they will return a single one of those powers which deal with devolved areas to the Scottish Parliament or to the Welsh Assembly.”

He said everyone who believes in devolution should be “concerned” about the bill, which is designed to transpose EU law into British law so the same rules apply on the day of Brexit as the day before.

On Monday Nicola Sturgeon called for all parties to work together to safeguard Holyrood in the face of Brexit “threatenin­g the underpinni­ng principle” of devolution.

Colin Clark, Conservati­ve MP for Gordon, said: “The day after the exit day, there are no powers the devolved parliament­s will have lost.”

He added: “The SNP Government at Holyrood should embrace this and get on board with this rather than trying to do everything it can to wreck it, because it’s a busted flush that it’s actually about the European Withdrawal Bill.

“What they’re trying to do, as they always are trying to do, is to undermine the union.”

Shadow Scottish secretary Lesley Laird said the Bill is a “power grab”.

She said: “This is about Westminste­r taking powers and taking control.

“In fact not even Westminste­r, in fact ministers taking control – it’s bypassing parliament and more importantl­y it’s bypassing powers that should be going to the devolved nations.”

The UK Government says devolved areas being transferre­d from Europe to Westminste­r initially will enable the creation of common frameworks ahead of further devolution and will result in extra powers for Holyrood.

The Scottish and Welsh government­s have vowed not to grant legislativ­e consent to the Bill as it stands and plan to amend it to protect the powers of their devolved administra­tions.

 ?? Picture: Getty Images. ?? Brexit Secretary Mike Russell addresses the Scottish Parliament.
Picture: Getty Images. Brexit Secretary Mike Russell addresses the Scottish Parliament.

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