COMMENT

David Mundell has closed the door on a post-brexit devolution agreement with the Scottish Government, saying the government will offer no new proposals to break the deadlock ahead of a major House of Commons debate today.

The Scottish Secretary said he did not think a settlement could be reached over the EU Withdrawal Bill and blamed the Scottish Government for trying to change the constitution.

Mr Mundell rejected calls from the SNP and Labour for him to stand aside ahead of an emergency debate secured following last week’s turmoil over the lack of debate on devolution provision in the Withdrawal Bill.

The SNP’S Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who led his MPS out of the Commons chamber in protest last week, called plans to retain 24 powers in devolved areas after Brexit a “smash and grab” and said the row would “haunt the Tories for a generation just as the Poll Tax did”.

Mr Blackford is calling for legislation to secure the place of the Sewel Convention, which states that UK government may not normally act

“We are no longer ‘walking on eggshells’ in talks with Edinburgh because all the eggs are broken”

UK GOVERNMENT SOURCE