‘Opposition to Repeal Bill will send Scotland over cliff edge’

NICOLA STURGEON’S government risks taking Scotland off a legal “cliff edge” if it opposes the EU Repeal Bill – as the gaps left by thousands of redundant European laws may not be plugged, Theresa May’s deputy has warned.

Damian Green, the First Secretary of State, said the Bill was trying to avoid the “hugely undesirable” situation where Brexit would lead to holes in Scotland’s statute book covering areas such as food safety.

He refused to confirm that the UK Government would step in to plug the legal gaps if Ms Sturgeon made good her threat to withhold consent for the Bill, saying it was “new territory.”

But he expressed confidence that the SNP government would end up reaching a deal, arguing it would result in a swathe of new powers repatriated from Brussels for the Scottish Parliament, some of which he said would be delivered on day one of Brexit.

His intervention came the day after he held talks with Mike Russell, the SNP Brexit Minister, and John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, to try to break the impasse.

However, Mr Russell emerged from the meeting to warn that Holyrood would vote against the Repeal Bill without “serious and significant changes”, arguing it was a “blatant power grab” by Westminster.

Mr Green said: “One of the reasons for having this Bill absolutely is that we want to avoid anywhere in the UK a cliff edge on Brexit day where there are gaps in the statute book.”