The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
May defends legislation despite Holyrood refusal
SNP’s Ian Blackford had urged PM to ‘respect will of Scottish Parliament’
Theresa May says it is “right to go ahead” with her flagship Brexit legislation despite Holyrood refusing to support it.
The prime minister was told yesterday to respect the Scottish Parliament’s decision to deny consent for the Withdrawal Bill, which would transfer EU laws to these shores.
At First Minister’s Questions, Mrs May failed to make an offer of fresh talks with Scottish Ministers, but spoke of taking the unprecedented step of legislating in devolved areas without Holyrood consent.
MSPs voted by 93 to 30 to reject the bill after months of wrangling between Edinburgh and London over how the Brussels powers are repatriated.
Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, told her that the UK Government must not “veto the democratic wishes of the Scottish Parliament”. He said: “The Conservatives are isolated and out of touch with the people of Scotland. “Will the prime minister respect the will of the Scottish Parliament and work the Scottish Government to amend the Withdrawal Bill?”
Mrs May replied saying they have worked closely with the Scottish Government on the return of the powers. She added: “What the Bill does is sets out a mechanism that respects devolution and lets us maintain the integrity of our own common market as we work out the long-term solutions. I think this is a reasonable, a sensible way forward.”
She added: “The Welsh Government and now the Welsh Assembly, including Labour and Liberal Democrat members of the Welsh Assembly, agree with that.
“I think it is right that we go ahead with measures that not only respect devolution but also ensure that we maintain the integrity of our common market.”
The Tories say a less than a quarter of the 111 EU competences that are devolved in nature need to be temporarily housed in Westminster to ensure common frameworks are set up that protect the British internal market.
The Scottish Government, whose position is backed by Labour, Lib Dems and the Greens in Holyrood, accuse ministers of a “power grab” that rides roughshod over the devolution settlement.
Mr Blackford said: “If this government forces through the legislation without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, the prime minister will be doing so in the full knowledge that they’re breaking the 20-year-old devolution settlement.
“Will the prime minister reassure the House that the Withdrawal Bill will not go through without the consent of the Scottish Parliament?”
Mrs May said her government has been “working hard to find a way through”, before saying it was the “democratic will of the Scottish people to remain in the UK”.