PM warns Scotland EU bill will pass with or without Holyrood’s consent
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have been accused of acting as the “midwives” for the break-up of the UK after they voted with the SNP to reject legislative consent for crucial Brexit legislation in the Scottish Parliament.
Tuesday’s vote at Holyrood set in motion an unprecedented constitutional crisis, with Prime Minister Theresa May confirming to MPS that the UK government would push ahead with the EU Withdrawal Bill despite the ongoing row over its impact on devolution.
It would be the first time the UK government has ignored the will of the Scottish Parliament when legislating on devolved matters since the latter’s creation in 1999.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Conservatives in Scotland would have a “price to pay” for what he said was an attack on devolution.
Challenged by Mr Blackford at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May insisted the EU Withdrawal Bill “respects devolution and lets us maintain the integrity of our own common market”.
“That is a reasonable and sensible way forward,” she said. “The Welsh government and now the Welsh Assembly, including Labour and Liberal Democrat members, agree with that. I think it is right that we go ahead with measures that not only respect devolution, but ensure we maintain the integrity of our common market.”
Mr Blackford was heckled by Tory MPS, who shouted “shame” as he set out that the Scottish Parliament had refused its consent.
He told Mrs May: “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-yearold devolution settlement.”
Aberdeen South Tory MP Ross Thomson claimed that: “Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrats have become the midwives for the Scottish National Party’s crusade to tear apart the Union, leaving only the Scottish Conservatives as the party that wants to get on and make a success of Brexit.”
The Scottish and UK governments claim the door is still open to a deal over 24 devolved powers returning from Brussels, which Whitehall says must be kept at Westminster for up to seven years to protect internal trade after Brexit.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested the Scottish Parliament vote could be “overturned” if a deal is reached. However, with the EU Withdrawal Bill set to get final approval in the House of Lords on Wednesday before a final reading in the Commons, Scottish Parliament approval is highly unlikely.