COMMENT

Scotland faces a “constitutional crisis” amid escalating tensions between Edinburgh and London over the controversial Bill to repatriate powers after Britain’s EU departure, Holyrood’s Brexit minister has said.

Michael Russell said he believed the UK government is planning to use so-called ‘Henry VIII’ powers to decide if new controls will lie with the Scottish Parliament or Westminster – and warned that this would be “unacceptable”.

He even suggested that it would lead to an impasse in the administration of key areas like civil law in Scotland, as Westminster has had no experience in this field in decades.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that the Scottish Parliament will withhold consent from the Repeal Bill in its current form, branding it a “naked power grab”. But Holyrood cannot block the Bill, meaning the UK government could press on regardless.

Mr Russell warned yesterday: “I think we are in a con-

“Essentially, it means thatwehaveasituation that Scotland has said, and its Parliament has said one thing, the UK Parliament has simply overruled it”

MICHAEL RUSSELL