SNP: May shows contempt for Scottish democracy
Nationalists declare Brexit vote a ‘shambles’ as time restrictions bar full debate
THERESA May’s Government has been accused of showing “utter contempt for Scottish democracy” after MPS were unable to fully debate Scottish concerns about the Brexit Bill because of time restrictions in the House of Commons.
The tide of indignation came as Theresa May avoided a humiliating parliamentary defeat on the flagship legislation by offering last-minute concessions to Tory rebels.
After UK ministers won a vote to limit debate on the Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill to six hours yesterday, time was eaten into by 11 continuous Commons votes, each taking 15 minutes.
This meant that the subjects of the UK Government’s Scottish clause in the bill and the Lords amendment on the Northern Irish border issue were restricted at the close of play to David Lidington, the Cabinet Office Minister, speaking from the Commons despatch box for 15 minutes and four minutes on them respectively.
The SNP’S Pete Wishart asked the minister if he was “not ashamed, embarrassed and appalled” that there were just 15 minutes to discuss “these critical devolution issues”.
Mr Lidington insisted the Government had allowed “perfectly adequate time for debate” on them, pointing out that UK and Scottish ministers had discussed the issues for many months, resulting in the Conservative administration making “very substantial compromises” to address Scottish concerns over what what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and others have called a Whitehall “power grab”.
The Tory frontbencher argued that MPS would have had more time for debate on devolved issues if Labour had not caused a number of votes on similar subjects.
But later more than a dozen MPS rose to express their alarm, using Points of Order.
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, noting that the Brexit bill fundamentally changed the devolution settlement in the face of opposition from the Scottish Parliament, said: “We have had no adequate time for debate … There was no chance for a vote on any of the amendments proposed by Scottish MPS, amendments that would have protected the position of the Scottish Parliament.”
He then declared: “Scotland’s voice has been shut out of the Brexit debate,” which was met by a chorus of disapproval from Scottish Conservative MPS.
His Nationalist colleague Kirsty Blackman said the lack of debate on the Scottish clause was an “undemocratic shambles” that had “damaged the reputation of this House irreparably”.
Labour’s Vernon Coaker pointed out that numerous backbenchers had been prevented from contributing to an important debate and that in the second half of it the only person making points was the Government minister.
The former shadow defence secretary noted MPS had spent just over three hours on the first part of the debate on the so-called “meaningful vote” which, given its historical significance, was absolutely ridiculous and that, on the lack of debate on the second part,“ministers should be ashamed of themselves”.
As Commons votes were taking place, Hannah Bardell, the SNP for Livingston, took the unusual step of video-tweeting from inside one of the Commons voting lobbies to express her alarm at what she branded the antiquated way of voting, which meant time had been lost for debate.
“So Scotland is going to be left out; Scotland’s voice is not going to be heard today because we won’t have time to debate because the House of Commons and its procedures are, frankly, out of date and archaic; a total shambles,” she declared.
After the first of two days’ debate on the Lords amendments, Stephen Kerr, the Conservative MP for Stirling, said it was “hugely disappointing” that there was not enough time for proper debate but insisted: “The Labour frontbench deliberately called far too many unnecessary
divisions, which lost all of us valuable time for the second group of amendments.
“They were clearly trying to hide their embarrassment over the all-tooobvious divisions in their ranks between Richard Leonard’s siding with the SNP at Holyrood over the LCM and Welsh Labour’s much more pragmatic approach…and, obviously, the SNP got their grievance; no day is complete for the SNP without a grievance.”
In Edinburgh, Michael Russell, the Scottish Government’s Brexit Minister, decried the lack of Commons debate on the bill’s Scotland clause, saying: “The fact that they rail-roaded this measure through with no time for speeches from anyone other than the UK Government Minister shows utter contempt for Scottish democracy. This is a dark day for devolution.”
But David Mundell stressed the legislation provided “certainty for business and families in Scotland”.
Earlier, the Prime Minister, after suffering the resignation of Justice Minister Phillip Lee, who claimed the Government’s Brexit policy was “detrimental to the people we were elected to serve”, engaged in a frantic round of talks in her Common office with potential Tory rebels to stave off defeat on the issue of a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal.
Chief Whip Julian Smith could be seen darting in and out of the chamber and between Tory backbenchers as MPS debated the Lords amendment, which would have allowed the Commons to decide the next course of action if MPS rejected the final deal.
As the debate progressed Mr Smith was locked in conversation with former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who had also proposed an amendment seeking a greater role for Parliament. He later withdrew it, saying: “I am quite satisfied we are going to get a meaningful vote.”
MPS voted by 324 to 298, a majority of 26, to reject the Lords amendment, which would have given MPS the power to tell the PM to go back and renegotiate the Brexit deal.
But, if confirmed, the last-minute concessions could now give MPS a bigger say on the final withdrawal agreement and make a “no-deal” exit much less likely. This would represent a dramatic climbdown from Mrs May’s original plan for a “take it or leave it” vote for MPS.