THE Scottish Conservatives must "stand up for the rights" of Holyrood amid the UK's Brexit power grab, Nicola Sturgeon said at First Minister's Questions.
Sturgeon quoted Tory MSP Adam Tomkins as she stressed the importance of Westminster respecting the will of Holyrood, which voted to refuse consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill on Tuesday.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell has said the UK Government plans to proceed with the Bill in the Commons despite this, sparking a constitutional crisis.
Addressing the First Minister, the SNP's Ash Denham asked: "What engagement has the Scottish Government undertaken with the UK Government since Tuesday when this parliament, Tories excepted, united to refuse consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill?"
Sturgeon replied: "We continue to ask the UK Government to listen to, and more importantly respect the view of this Parliament, which was so decisively expressed in the vote on Tuesday.
"The requirement in the convention to respect the views of this Parliament and not to proceed with legislation that affects the powers of this Parliament without our consent is not a nicety, it's not an add-on – it's a fundamentally important part of our constitutional settlement.
"Those are actually the words of Adam Tomkins just a matters of weeks ago.
"So I would hope that the Tories would stand up for the rights of this Parliament and demand, like we do, that the UK Government listens.
"There is still time to get an agreement on this, but an agreement can only be reached if it respects the rights of this Parliament and is based on the fundamentally important principle of the consent – genuine consent – of this Parliament."
The UK's decision to proceed after consent being refused for a Bill marks the first time it has done so in the 20-year history of devolution.
MSPs from the SNP, Labour, Greens and LibDems united in Holyrood to reject the power grab, with only the Tories in support.
The Scottish Government motion, making clear that Edinburgh Parliament “does not consent” to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, was approved by 93 votes to 30.
Brexit Minister Mike Russell said after the vote that he would write to Theresa May's de facto deputy, David Lidington, urging him to "hear the concerns of all parties", and to discuss ways forward.
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