Could back SNP amendments to bill
whether the Scottish Conservatives could sign up to the list of demands, Mr Carlaw replied: “Potentially, yes.”
Addressing the Scottish Government’s concerns about the bill, he said: “We want to understand why they’ve placed the construction on the bill that they have, because we don’t believe it is the design or the desire to have the so-called power grab that they visualise, but we will work to see if there are amendments they are proposing that we can support.”
Mr Carlaw added: “We may have Conservative amendments that we want to propose ourselves, to ensure that what we have is a bill that will best take matters forward.”
Ministers face a battle to get the Repeal Bill through the committee stage. Support is growing for changes proposed by former Attorneygeneral Dominic Grieve to curb planned ministerial powers over so-called Henry VIII powers, which would allow ministers to change or scrap EU regulations after they are repatriated to the UK.
Among those who have put their name to a number of Mr Grieve’s proposed amendments in the past week is Paul Masterton, one of the 13 Scottish Conservative MPS, whose East Renfrewshire constituency overlaps with Mr Carlaw’s.
Mr Russell welcomed the possibility of cross-party support for the attempt to force changes to the Repeal Bill.
“If the Scottish Tories are in a position to accept that and discuss how that would work – and convince their colleagues at Westminster – that would be a step forward.”
Another Scottish Conservative MP, John Lamont, said: “While the SNP have been trying to use the Brexit process to agitate for independence, the Scottish Conservatives have been trying to ensure that we have an orderly Brexit.
“This has included offering to work with the SNP in Holyrood to secure an LCM the Scottish Government will have confidence in placing before the Scottish Parliament.
“It’s clear that the Brexit process will not be politics as usual, and if the SNP were acting in the best interests of Scotland they would work with the UK government.”