Sturgeon and May set for showdown

Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May are set for a showdown over Brexit before the end of March, it was revealed after the First Minister rejected the UK Government’s latest offer to resolve a deepening row over a devolution ‘power grab’.

Sources confirmed that a plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee would take place next month, bringing together the leaders the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to discuss Brexit.

It comes as hopes of breaking the deadlock between London, Edinburgh and Cardiff faded, with Ms Sturgeon claiming that a UK Government proposal on devolved powers returning from Brussels after Brexit “undermines the whole foundation on which devolution is built”.

A meeting between the First Minister and Prime Minister is likely to come after a 12 March deadline to table amendments to the Withdrawal Bill in the House of Lords, where it is now being scrutinised. Ministers from the three governments will hold talks in a last ditch attempt to strike a deal before that deadline, although they are not now expected to meet until next week.

Meanwhile, the EU’S chief Brexit negotiator has repeated his warning that a transition period sought by Theresa May is not yet in the bag, stressing that “significant points of disagreement” remain. A 120-page draft agreement will be published by the European Commission today.

Michel Barnier said he was “concerned” that only a short time remains before the October deadline for finalising a legally-binding withdrawal agreement.

He backed European Council President Donald Tusk’s dismissal of proposals for the UK-EU relationship thrashed out by Mrs May at Chequers last week as “pure illusion”.

“The clock is ticking,” Mr Barnier said. “Time is short.”