Relationship between governments to be probed

An inquiry into the relationship between the UK and Scottish governments has been launched by the House of Commons Scottish affairs committee.

The investigation will examine “the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for intergovernmental relations, particularly in relation to the overlap of reserved and devolved powers”, as well as the Brexit negotiation process.

The division of responsibility for different areas of public policy and ongoing process of the devolution of new powers means the governments work closely in several areas.

Committee chair Pete Wishart said: “When we see disputes settled in front of the Supreme Court, we ask if the mechanisms for ensuring good co-operation and communication are working as well as they need to.”