We’ll bring Parliament to a halt say remoaners

NICOLA Sturgeon, Gina Miller and the Lib dems yesterday threatened to launch a new war against Brexit in parliament and the courts.

SNP sources suggested the scottish First Minister could try to block the Great Repeal Bill unless Westminster agrees to hand new powers clawed back from Brussels direct to Edinburgh.

Gina Miller, who took the Government to court over Brexit and won last year, said she could return to the courts over the way the legislation is being pushed through.

And the Liberal democrats threatened to wage guerrilla warfare against the Government, particularly in the Lords, where the Conservatives do not have a majority and Tim Farron’s party have more than 100 peers.

Lib dem chief whip Tom Brake said: ‘Theresa May and her ministers are resembling a medieval court more and more every single day. This shameless power grab under the cloak of secondary legislation would have made Henry VIII blush.

‘If needed, we will grind the Gov- ernment’s agenda to a standstill, unless proper and rigorous safeguards are given over the Great Repeal Bill. The ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court.’

Brexit secretary david davis said it was not yet clear whether the new legislation would require a so-called ‘legislative consent motion’ to be passed in the Holyrood parliament.

But a Government source said it was ‘highly likely’ that the devolved parliaments would be given a say, opening up the possibility of a fresh constitutional clash. Ministers think Westminster could overrule a vote by scotland, but it is a legal grey area that could end up in the courts.

Miss sturgeon said it would be ‘absolutely unacceptable’ if powers repatriated from the European Union in devolved areas such as fishing and agriculture did not come to the scottish Parliament. scotland’s Brexit Minister Mike Russell said the proposed legislation risked undermining the devolution settlement and exposed ‘empty promises’ on further powers for scotland.

Ministers have said scotland and Wales will get substantial new powers as a result of Brexit. But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said a final decision on the extent of powers would be taken later.

Labour’s leader in Wales Carwyn Jones called for the ratification of the final Brexit deal to ‘take place in all four parliaments’. He suggested that the UK follow Belgium’s model, where devolved parliaments can veto constitutional matters. ‘The Belgians do it, and if it happens in Belgium then why not in the UK?’ he said.

Meanwhile Mrs Miller said she could go to court to challenge the Government’s use of so-called ‘Henry VIII’ powers, which allow ministers to fast-track legal changes with less parliamentary scrutiny.

she added: ‘The Government has already blotted its copybook by trying to bypass Parliament and use the Royal Prerogative, so if there is any sniff that they are trying to use Henry VIII powers, that would be profoundly unparliamentary and democratic, and I would seek legal advice, because what you are doing is setting a precedent that Government could bypass Parliament.’