C’mon Carwyn. Places to go, people to meet
● Sturgeon and Jones go on the offensive after Edinburgh talks ● Proposed changes ‘will be designed to protect devolved powers’
Nicola Sturgeon greets Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones outside Bute House in Edinburgh. The pair met yesterday to discuss their opposition to UK government plans to repatriate powers from Brussels after Brexit.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones have stepped up their opposition to controversial UK government plans to repatriate powers from Brussels after Brexit.
Both leaders insist the plans in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill are a “power grab” on the devolved nations and revealed yesterday that the Scottish and Welsh administrations are to work together on proposed changes after talks in Edinburgh yesterday.
In a joint statement after the meeting, both leaders said the changes would be designed to protect devolved powers and responsibilities.
They also gave a commitment to keep the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly “fully informed” of the risks posed by the UK government Bill and the proposed changes.
“The Scottish and Welsh governments have already made clear that they cannot recommend that the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly give their necessary legislative consent to the bill,” the joint statement said. “We believe that the bill must not be allowed to progress in its current form. To provide a constructive way forward, the Scottish and Welsh governments are now working to agree potential amendments to the bill which would address our concerns.
“We are also coordinating our advice to the parliament and assembly to ensure they fully understand our concerns and our alternative proposals.
“It will now be for the UK government to respond positively to our suggested amendments to move negotiations forward, and ensure there is a functioning legal system on withdrawal from the EU, and agreed UK structures – where these are required – that reflect the views and interests of all parts of the UK, and respect devolved powers and responsibilities.”
The UK government legislation will be passed by MPS later in the year. If MSPS at Holyrood do withhold consent for the bill, it would be a first in the two decades of devolution but would not stop Brexit. The bill in its current form would see all the powers held by Brussels returned to Westminster.
The UK government insists this is needed to ensure Brexit runs smoothly but pledged that new powers would later be passed on to the devolved nations. This approach is necessary, UK ministers say, to protect the UK single market to ensure that different regulations do not emerge on either side of the Border after Brexit.
But the Scottish Government insists that the devolved responsibilities are set out clearly in the Scotland Act which paved the way for Holyrood. These include areas such as fishing, farming and justice and these should automatically be devolved at the point of Brexit.
The current row comes as the 20th anniversary of the referendums that brought about the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly approaches next year, the first ministers said in their statement.
It added: “Most recently the UK government has published position papers which involve the vital interests of Scotland and Wales but which have been prepared without the involvement of the devolved administrations. Most seri- ously, the UK government’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill is an unashamed move to centralise decision-making power in Westminster, cutting directly across current devolved powers and responsibilities.”
A UK government spokeswoman said: “The government is committed to the principle of devolution, indeed not a single decision currently taken by the Scottish or Welsh governments will be taken away under this Bill. Instead, the Bill is about creating certainty and continuity for people and businesses across the Uk,andensuringthatwedon’t create new barriers to doing business. It is our expectation that the outcome of this process will provide greater decision-making power for each devolved administration and we are committed to positive and productive discussions going forward.”