AN SNP MP will lead a debate in Westminster today calling on the UK Government to respect the people of Scotland as sovereign.
It comes after the Brexit Bill was passed by MPs and received royal assent – despite the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all refusing to give consent to the legislation.
As part of the devolution settlement, Westminster is required to seek the consent of Holyrood and devolved assemblies if it wants to pass laws in devolved areas.
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In response to the Tory bid to impose legislation on devolved administrations, SNP MP Patricia Gibson will hold a debate entitled Claim of Right for Scotland. She is calling on the will of the Scottish Parliament to be respected.
“In three days, Scotland will be dragged out of the EU by a Tory Government which is treating Scotland with utter contempt,” Gibson said. “The Tories are hell-bent on a damaging hard Brexit despite the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all refusing to give consent to the Withdrawal Agreement, and despite the people of Scotland voting to remain in the EU in 2016.
“We have been told time and again that we are a union of equals yet instead of respecting Scotland’s decision, the Tories have cast it to one side and are riding roughshod over the devolution settlement. It’s clear beyond any doubt that Scotland will never be treated as an equal partner in the UK.
“The stark difference in the political direction of Holyrood and Westminster in over the past four years makes it even more crucial that the will of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people is respected.”
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Five amendments made by peers to the Brexit Bill were overturned as it passed last week, including one calling for Scotland and Wales to be given reassurance over devolution.
Gibson continued: “While there has been much progress since devolution, the Tory Government in London – which has not won an election in Scotland in over 60 years – is dragging Scotland out of the EU against its will. Scotland must have the choice over whether it wants to prosper as an independent country inside the EU – or face a bleak future, with jobs and livelihoods in jeopardy, as part of Brexit Britain.”
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