THERE was pandemonium in Parliament yesterday as SNP MPs walked out of the House of Commons in protest at the paltry time given to debate the Tory Westminster power grab on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Westminster is starting to dismantle devolution for Scotland

With such little time spent on the EU Withdrawal Bill, MPs were given just 15 minutes to speak on devolution, and Tory David Lidington spoke for every one of those minutes.

READ MORE: The SNP just showed what can be achieved if you don't play by Westminster rules

This infuriated the SNP who then brought Prime Minister’s Questions to a shuddering halt, as the party’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, clashed with Speaker John Bercow.

READ MORE: Derek Mackay warns UK is a ‘fiscal straight jacket’ for Scotland

Blackford had accused Theresa May of breaking a promise to “treat Scotland as part of a union of equals”.

May, he said, had “pressed ahead with a power grab in direct opposition to Scotland’s elected Parliament”.

The Prime Minister dismissed Blackford’s description, saying Brexit would lead to more powers coming to the Scottish Parliament.

“It is not the case that this is any way a power grab,” she said. “Over 80 areas of responsibility of decision making are going to flow direct to Holyrood. Only the SNP could say that getting 80 more areas where they’re getting to take more decisions is a power grab.”

Blackford said there was no denying that Westminster would, after Brexit, take powers that should belong to Holyrood.

“I really hope that the people of Scotland listened very carefully to what the Prime Minister said. The reality of the situation is that powers that are enshrined under the Scotland Act 1998 are being grabbed back by this government.

“It is a power grab and the MPs from Scotland were not given the courtesy of even debating it last night.

“It is a democratic outrage. The people of Scotland will not be disrespected by this Parliament.”

Blackford said he had no option but to invoke an archaic parliamentary procedure, and ask that the Commons “now sits in private”.

Bercow took advice from clerks, and suggested that the vote on sitting in private be taken at the end of Prime Minister’s Questions.

Blackford disagreed.

“There can be a discussion and it can be at the end of the session and that is the end of the matter,” Bercow said.

Blackford stood his ground, infuriating Bercow. “Resume your seat,” said the Speaker. “Resume your seat, young man. You’re not moving anything. No. No. Resume your seat. Resume your seat, Mr Blackford.

“Order, order, order. The house will have heard... order, please. The House will have heard very clearly my acceptance that there can be a vote on this matter.”

Blackford remained standing.

Bercow threw him out. “Under the power given to me by standing order number 43 in light of the persistent and repeated refusal of the Right Honourable gentleman to resume his seat when so instructed, I order the Right Honourable gentleman to withdraw immediately from the House for the remainder of this day’s sitting.”

All SNP MPs then stood up and followed their leader out of the chamber.

Tory MPs waved and sarcastically and enthusiastically shouted “bye”.

Shortly after the walk out, David Mundell, the Secretary of State for Scotland announced he would make a statement in Parliament today on Brexit and devolution.

But yesterday he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme that agreement between London and Edinburgh had never seemed likely: “Even if we had had 100 hours of debate the outcome wouldn’t have changed because the SNP and Scottish Government position is exactly the same as it was on day one of this bill.”

The SNP called on him to resign.

Nicola Sturgeon said she was “right behind” Blackford and accused Westminster of treating Scotland with “contempt”.

But there was little support from other Scottish MPs. Scottish Labour’s Lesley Laird said the “stunt by Ian Blackford and his colleagues simply emphasises further that they have one aim – to play political games rather than standing up for Scotland.”

Christine Jardine from the LibDems, said she was “utterly appalled” by the “stunt”.

“They did nothing but silence themselves and other Scottish MPs,” she said. “Equally, the Scottish Tories have dirt on their hands. Their cowardly move to block amendments on devolution being heard in Parliament got us here.”

There was support from the Greens, with Patrick Harvie tweeting: “However theatrical the SNP walk-out from #PMQs was, it’s the UK Government’s actions yesterday in tearing up the principle of devolved consent which show the real disrespect for parliamentary democracy.”