The Tories will be “haunted for generations” if they force through the EU Withdrawal Bill against the wishes of Holyrood, the SNP Westminster leader will insist.

Ian Blackford will use his speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen to condemn such a plan, claiming it would be a “democratic outrage” and would also “fly in the face of the fundamental principles of devolution”.

His warning comes ahead of MPs at the House of Commons considering the key Brexit legislation next week.

However the Scottish Parliament has already voted against giving its formal consent to the Bill, with Labour MSPs, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens supporting the SNP’s stance.

Since devolution was established, the UK Government has never imposed legislation which takes in devolved areas against the wishes of the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Brexit Minister Mike Russell has already warned Tory ministers they are entering “very dangerous times” if they fail to remove the clause which concerns the issue of Scottish Parliament consent for devolved powers returning to the UK following Brexit.

The SNP at Westminster has now tabled amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill “to protect the Scottish Parliament from the Tories’ power grab,” Mr Blackford said.

Speaking ahead of the conference, which is expected to attract some 2,000 people to Aberdeen, he stated: “The SNP will always protect the powers of the Scottish Parliament and the devolution settlement that so many people fought so hard for.

“The Tories think they can do whatever they want to Scotland and get away with it. Next week we can make clear that a failure to amend this bill and to listen to the views of the Scottish Parliament will be a decision that will haunt the Tories for generations.”

He called on Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the Commons to “join us in defending devolution against this Tory power grab”.

Mr Blackford continued: “This Tory government seems determined to destroy the founding principles of devolution.

“The Tories haven’t won a democratic mandate from the people of Scotland for over 60 years, yet they are planning constraints on Holyrood’s existing powers without consent. It would be a democratic outrage - and it would fly in the face of the fundamental principles of devolution.”

TWO thousand SNP members are expected to descend on Aberdeen this morning, as the party’s Spring conference gets underway.

Andrew Wilson’s Sustainable Growth Commission report will be the talk of the steamie, though it likely won’t be debated in the conference hall. The most interesting discussions will, it seems, take place elsewhere in the Granite City’s exhibition centre.

The big news on day one will be the announcement of the SNP’s depute leader.

The race to replace Angus Robertson as Nicola Sturgeon’s number two has lacked the excitement 2016’s election, and sources suggest turnout is down at around 25%.

The result comes early at just after 10.30am.

Whoever gets the job will be chairing the new “National Assemblies” announced earlier this month, that have been set up to “debate and discuss the [Growth Commission] report’s recommendations ahead of the party’s annual national conference in October.”

The party have promised to share dates and locations of the assemblies today.

A vast chunk of this morning’s business will be taken over to discuss internal resolutions, and changes to the SNP’s conference and structures.

The party are asking members to back the abolition of the SNP’s governing National Council, replacing it with regional structure for National Assemblies in each of the eight Scottish Parliament regions with an expanded National Executive Committee.

Not all members are happy at the prospect and there will likely be fierce debate on the conference floor.

Discussions about the party’s internal machinations continue on the Saturday. There could be a clash here over all-female shortlists.

The party want national committees to have a 50/50 gender balance, and as such the members of the NEC and members of the Policy Development Committee will be elected from an all-female list and one from “an open list”.

Oban and Lorn SNP branch want to change this and make sure the open list is an “all male list.”

Other debates will include plans to limit top executive pay, doubling paternity leave and ending councils right to sell housing stock. Plans for a nationalised construction company to build schools and hospitals and a Scottish national investment bank will also be discussed.

The conference closes with Nicola Sturgeon’s address to the party faithful on Saturday afternoon.

Writing in the 84 page handbook handed to delegates, Sturgeon said said the two day shindig marked “the start of a new chapter in Scotland’s road to independence”.

“With our opponents stuck quibbling grievances of the past, we’ve moved on to a debate about how we fulfil the potential of our country,” she wrote.

Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman, who will open conference this morning, said: “Over the next two days the SNP will debate the positive ideas that can take Scotland forward and replace the despair of Brexit with hope and optimism for our country.”