DAVID Lidington in his role as chair of the joint Ministerial Committee on European Negotiations told me to my face on Thursday he is still keen to secure a deal with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and is determined to go on discussing it with us.
I supported my Welsh colleague on the committee, Mark Drakeford, in agreeing that we would continue to meet and said so publicly afterwards.
READ MORE: Mike Russell warns Scotland will not be bullied over Brexit
But today Lidington has gone to Wales to lambast us and our Governments because we refuse to be brow beaten and bullied into giving up our existing powers and cheerleading for Brexit, even though he himself called Brexit “confusing contradictory nonsense” only two years ago.
Much of what Lidington said sounded like a hang over from the indyref in 2014 – more false promises of prosperity if we stick together and dire warnings about what will happen if we don’t.
Last time, by a small majority, Scotland was persuaded to listen to that – and look what happened.
It is for Lidington to answer why he is so slavishly keen to do the Prime Minister’s Brexit dirty work despite his previous views and the clear evidence of Brexit disaster in front of him.
But we cannot allow him to assume that threatening megaphone diplomacy will bring about a change of heart from Scotland or Wales.
Our countries are made of sterner stuff.
Lidington should be in no doubt that there can and will be no deal to secure a legislative consent motion for the EU Withdrawal Bill which contains any element that undermines or removes existing devolved powers.
That is non-negotiable. So whilst we don’t regard continuity bills as the best way forward we will take that route if we have to no matter the difficulties and the precedents we set.
We must use all the means at our disposal to ensure that whatever Brexit is being pursued we afford our country the greatest level of protection we can.
Jeremy Corbyn moved Labour a small step closer to some sort of Brexit sense in his speech yesterday. But at the same time Lidington moved the Tories a big step away from getting the agreement they want and need from the devolved administrations.
Brexit is a fast moving issue and no doubt there will be plenty more twists and turns in the next few days.
The UK Government can still turn back from the brink if they want to, by showing the devolved settlement – and the devolved nations – the respect that the current constitutional order demands.
But one thing that will not waver is the determination of the Scottish Government to stand firm for what it has and holds on behalf of all our citizens.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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