SCOTTISH Brexit Minister Michael Russell has accused Theresa May and David Davis of acting like devolution never happened.
Speaking to Holyrood’s Europe Committee yesterday morning as part of its inquiry into the triggering of Article 50, Russell told MSPs: “It is intolerable that areas of devolved competence are being discussed, put on the table in these negotiations, without even the courtesy of a consultation with the devolved administrations. That is simply wrong.
“It is outrageous that a paper can be published on civil law without even a consultation with the Scottish Government or the Lord Advocate. It almost defies belief that such a thing would happen.”
He continued: “It is a clear breach of the constitution, unwritten constitution. The UK Government is presently operating as if devolution never happened. And indeed that is also what is happening with the repeal bill. The repeal bill actually is written for a set of circumstances in which devolution doesn’t exist.”
Next Monday the committee are to meet with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Russell said: “As there have been no formal intergovernmental discussions within the UK on the withdrawal process since February this year, speaking to Mr Barnier will allow us to gain a greater understanding of the direction of the talks and the consequences of the negotiations for Scotland.”
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