ANGRY MPs have raised fears they will have little or no time today to debate the UK Government’s controversial Scottish clause in its EU Withdrawal Bill as expectations rise that Theresa May will successfully get through 48 hours of Brexit turbulence in the Commons.
Scottish Opposition MPs have branded the Conservative administration’s timetabling as “disgraceful”; a series of votes will mean a significant part of the 12 hours of debate will be eaten up by MPs going through the voting lobbies.
Today, the main topics for discussion are the so-called “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal and the Northern Irish border issue, which could leave little time for MPs to debate fully the clause relating to devolution, branded by Nicola Sturgeon a “power-grab”. Tomorrow, MPs will discuss the customs union and single market.At the weekend, the First Minister wrote to John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, urging him to allow MPs time to debate the Scottish clause. Time limitations are expected to mean SNP and Labour amendments will not be debated or voted on at all.
Given the Government failed to bring its own Scottish amendment forward in the Commons, so it was only discussed in the Lords, and now faced with severe limits for debate on it, MPs are irate.
Scottish Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine declared: “It shows complete contempt for the devolution settlement,” while the SNP’s Stephen Gethins said the Government was intent to “railroad these changes through showing a complete disregard for devolution”.
- READ MORE: Key Brexit Bill flashpoints
Lesley Laird, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said after the “shambolic way” the Tories had handled the bill’s devolved element, “the least that could be expected is MPs be given adequate and appropriate time to debate what is clearly a complex issue”.
However, the Government appeared confident MPs would have “sufficient time” to debate the Scottish clause.
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