GORDON Brown has suggested the Scottish Parliament could bypass Westminster and work directly with the European Union – even if the UK crashes out of Europe.

In a speech to the Institute for Government on “Brexit and the future of the UK,” the former Labour prime minister said the Tories had undermined devolution by holding on to powers in devolved areas.

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The ex-MP for Kirkcaldy also said that he believes there will be a second referendum on Brtain’s membership of the EU, and called for a “royal commission of the people” to try and unite the country.

Brown, who insisted he was trying to start a debate rather than put forward policy suggestions, said there was “no doubt that the Scottish Parliament has ambitions, including Labour, possibly some Conservatives, certainly Liberals as well as nationalists, to have a role in some of these decisions that would be classified as out of bounds at the moment.”

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He added that since the EU referendum in 2016, the Government had become “far less flexible” on devolution and on “how the Union should develop in the future.”

Brown said: “So you have the rhetoric, ‘our precious Union’ – these are the words you always get, ‘our precious Union’ – but actually the openness to honouring the devolution settlement has diminished and that’s a problem.

“I don’t see why the Scottish Parliament shouldn’t be able to sign a treaty with the European Union on a devolved matter. Not on non-devolved matters, but on devolved matters.

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“I don’t see why even if we were outside the European Union that would be prevented.

“I don’t see that in devolved areas that Westminster should try and say this is not possible.

“I think that’s an open debate about what should happen.”

Brown later said that he thought another referendum on Brexit would almost certainly happen and could even be in the next few months.

However, when asked during a question and answer session about the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence, Brown said he thought that “unlikely at the moment.”

He said his proposal for a “royal commission of the people” would be a “platform that is designed to enable, encourage, engage and empower voices and concerns over the way ahead.”

Reacting to Brown’s speech, the SNP ‘s former Westminster leader, Angus Robertson tweeted: “As Brexit chaos continues, former prime minister Gordon Brown agrees with First Minister @NicolaSturgeon that the UK Government is defying devolution by holding on to EU powers on agriculture and fishing”.

Meanwhile Brown’s old party was split yesterday over the inevitability of Brexit.

Keir Starmer, Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, insisted it could be halted.

That contradicted comments made by Jeremy Corbyn last week, when the leader of the opposition told a German newspaper that the only decisions remaining were on what sort of Brexit to implement.

In his interview with Der Spiegel, Corbyn had reiterated his criticisms of some EU policies. Asked if he backed the idea of a second referendum, he replied: “Not really, no. The referendum took place.”

Starmer told Sky News: “Brexit can be stopped – but the real question is what are the decisions we are going to face over the next few weeks and months.”

He said a second referendum was a policy that had been “endorsed by everybody, – myself, Jeremy, Emily – the whole of the membership,” at their conference.