THE UK Government has made clear it will make no new offer to Edinburgh to end the constitutional row on the Brexit Bill as the SNP leadership claimed the controversy will haunt the Tories as the poll tax did in the late 1980s.
Ian Blackford, the Nationalist leader at Westminster, has urged UK ministers to “come to the table with emergency legislation not just more excuses” as Scottish voters, he claimed, would neither accept nor forgive Whitehall’s “smash and grab” raid on devolved powers.
Last week, he was ordered from the Commons chamber and led a mass walk-out of SNP MPs after the EU Withdrawal Bill passed through the lower House with just 15 minutes of exchanges on the Scottish clause; the Highland MP denounced the process as a “democratic outrage”.
But ahead of an emergency Commons debate today on the Brexit Bill and devolution, David Mundell declared: "There won't be any new proposals.
“The Government set out its position in line with the existing constitutional settlement and at the heart of this...is that the SNP don't accept the existing constitutional settlement.”
He added: "I don't think there is a settlement to be had. I've always looked to bring forward…amendments that had been agreed with the Scottish Government but it's become quite clear throughout this process that it's not possible to reach that agreement."
Mr Blackford claimed it was Theresa May’s “personal responsibility” to come forward with emergency legislation to end her Government’s “unprecedented, undemocratic, and completely unacceptable” power-grab on Scottish devolution.
“There will be no business as usual until this attack on devolution ends. Scotland will not be silenced and the SNP will do everything in our power to defend devolution and protect Scotland’s interests,” added the party leader.
He has pledged to “frustrate” UK Government business with SNP colleagues suggesting using the 19th century Irish Nationalists as a model to cause disruption at Westminster.
Meanwhile, Labour’s Lesley Laird will use today’s debate to call on Scotland’s two governments to get back round the table for fresh all-party talks to “fix the Brexit powers mess”.
The Shadow Scottish Secretary said: “This entire process has been marred by Tory chaos and Nationalist mischief-making with neither side putting forward a long-term plan for our country’s future.
“It is time for Scotland’s two governments to set aside their political differences and govern in the interests of the many, not the few,” she added.
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