SCOTLAND and the other devolved nations will be consulted over Brexit but will not get a veto, the Cabinet has confirmed, writes Greg Russell.
Ministers also agreed that MPs will not get a vote on the decision to invoke Article 50 which will trigger the formal withdrawal process from the EU.
PM Theresa May repeated her pledge that “Brexit means Brexit” and promised there would be no second EU vote and no attempt to stay in the EU “by the back door”.
The SNP accused May's Government of “breathtaking complacency” and “making it up as they go along”.
A spokesman for Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are still no closer to knowing what ‘Brexit means Brexit’ actually means – and as the weeks and months go by that is an increasingly unacceptable and irresponsible position."
“The Prime Minister gave the First Minister a very clear undertaking when they met recently that she is prepared to consider options that the Scottish Government puts forward to protect Scotland's interests.
“The simple fact is that it is the Tories who have put Scotland's interests on the line through a referendum that threatens to take us out of the EU against our will – so the onus is very much on them to show they are serious about engaging positively with a view to safeguarding those interests.
“The people of Scotland will now be watching carefully – is it possible for Scotland's vital interests be protected through the UK or are the Tories, through their actions and behaviour, determined to demonstrate that they cannot?"
May fuelled speculation that she will reject the much-discussed Norwegian and Swiss models of relationships with the EU and demand a new arrangement which is tailor-made for the UK.
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