DAVID Mundell has walked back on a statement that Brexit would mean a "power bonanza" for the Scottish Parliament, and now holds that not all powers will be devolved to Holyrood.
In a keynote speech delivered in Paraguay during a trade mission Mundell made it clear that while some powers would be devoled to Holyrood post-Brexit, others will make their way to Westminster instead.
Nicola Sturgeon had previously denounced the UK Government's EU Withdrawall Bill as a "power-grab" and has voiced that she will not be recommending that the Scottish Parliament gives consent to the bill, submitting ammendments instead.
READ MORE: Mundell's admission of less post-Brexit powers for Scotland branded a "complete betrayal"
Mundell's remarks come shortly after Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw conceded that they could support SNP amendments to the Government's bill.
Carlaw told the BBC’s Sunday Politics Scotland: "We don't believe it's the design nor the desire to have this so-called power-grab they visualise but then we want to work to see if there are amendments they are proposing, which we can support.
"And whether or not together we can actually find a way to ensure that the Legislative Consent Motion is something the Scottish Government feel able to support."
Mundell stated that blocking elements of devolution would be necessary to maintain the integrity of the single market in the UK.
He asked: “Where do we need to retain a UK-wide approach? And where can power returning from Brussels be transferred direct to the Scottish Parliament and other devolved institutions?
“We want to find common sense answers to these questions. For us, that will mean maintaining common, UK-wide frameworks in some areas to protect one of our biggest assets: our UK internal market.”
However, he continued to state: “Equally, we are clear that we will devolve powers unless there is a reason not to.
“The result will be a Scottish Parliament more powerful than it is today; indeed more powerful than it has ever been.”
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, responded to state that Mundell's "failure to understand the impact of the EU Withdrawal Bill is at odds with the growing consensus across Scotland that we must protect the powers of the Scottish Parliament from this legislation and that any UK-wide frameworks must be mutually agreed not imposed by Westminster."
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